UTICA, NY – The Utica College women's basketball team will head to North Adams, Massachusetts to face Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in a non-conference matchup on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
WHERE WE ARE: Utica is 3-1 to start the season, and won its first three games before a loss on Tuesday. The last time Utica went 3-1 in its first four games, they qualified for the Empire 8 Conference tournament that same season in 2010-11. It also happened during the 2009-2010 campaign, when the Pioneers advanced to the NCAA tournament.
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers had their first loss of the season against Oneonta on Tuesday by a final score of 78-70. It was non-stop back and forth action throughout the contest as Utica led by a point after the first quarter and the game was tied going into the half. The Pioneers won the third quarter outscoring Oneonta 22-18, but fell short in the fourth quarter as the Red Dragons came back to win. Senior Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) led the team with 23 points in the contest. She recorded her first double-double of the season as was two steals away from a triple-double. Three Pioneers scored 10 or more points in the contest.
DOMINANCE: The Pioneers are outscoring opponents by a 336-199 margin. They are averaging 84.0 points per game to opponents' 49.8, and are also vastly leading opponents in assists by an 82-46 count through four games.
KEEPING OUR DISTANCE: Two of the team's three victories this season have come by margins of over 50 points, and all three have come by over 25 points.
THE PRZYGODA POWERHOUSE: Sophomore Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) leads the Pioneers in points (81) and rebounds (40). Pryzgoda is one of only three players in the Empire 8 Conference averaging a double-double. She leads the conference averaging 20.3 points per game and is fourth in rebounds per game (10.3). She has now scored 20 or more points in her last three games. She was perfect from the field in the team's win over Wells College with a 9-for-9 effort. She is the reigning Empire 8 Player of the Week.
CONFERENCE LEADERS: Aside from Przygoda, Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) ranks second in the conference with 78 points and leads the Empire 8 in assists per game (7.0) and steals per game (4.8). Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic) ranks second in the E8 with a 1.6 assist/turnover ratio. Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) leads the way in 3-point shots made with 11, averaging 2.8 per game. Freshman Kristine Miller (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) ranks amongst the top 15 in blocks. She is averaging 0.5 per game. Miller was an Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the Week for the first week of the regular season.
KEY CONTRIBUTORS: Marissa Woods (Westampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley) is off to a strong start to her senior year as she is shooting a 33 percent clip from behind the 3-point arc with five made on fifteen attempts . She has 20 points on the season and 10 rebounds. Kimberly Soriano (Queens, NY/Monsignor McClancy Memorial) is the only Pioneer shooting 1.000 from the free-throw scoring eight points on four trips to the line. Cassie Chalon (Norwich, NY/Cato-Meridian) is 5-8 from the field with a .625 shooting percentage. She has netted 12 points while grabbing 13 rebounds.
SCOUTING MCLA: The Trailblazers are 2-2 this season. They are led by Kylah Langston, averaging 13.5 points per game and assists per game (2.5). Shannon Carney leads the team in steals averaging 1.3 per game. Hannah Mazzeo leads the team in rebounds averaging 9.8.
MATCHUP HISTORY: Utica has faced MCLA six times with the first meeting dating back to 2013. The Pioneers were victorious by a final of 68-49 in the first meeting. Utica faced the Trailblazers last season as Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) led the Pioneers to a 73-57 win in that game.. She scored fifteen points, nine of which were from three point distance.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Pioneers will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to SUNY-Delhi in a rematch of their season opener. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
