UTICA, NY – The Utica College women's basketball team will return to action for the first time in 2020, set to host its final non-conference matchup of the season as Union College comes to town on Friday. The pair are set for a 4 p.m. tip-off at Miga Court.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers were able to notch their seventh victory of the fall semester, downing the Morrisville State Mustangs in a convincing 81-64 battle on Dec. 14. Sophomore Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) continues to lead the squad on the stat sheet, as she collected her fifth double-double of the season on a team-best 29 points and 11 rebounds. This is the seventh time she has posted 20-plus points in a contest this season. Following close behind was Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) with 15 points and seven rebounds.
 
LEADING THE PACK: UC is currently 7-3, posting 782 points compared to 595 by its opponents, while compiling a 68.3 percentage from the charity stripe. Przygoda leads the squad with a 60.0 free throw percentage, averaging 3.6 per game.
 
EMPIRE 8 LEADERS: Przygoda holds onto her lead in points (208), points per game (20.8) and field goals made per game (8.6), while ranking third in rebounds per game (11.0). The sophomore also ranks within the top-20 (t-16) in the nation with a 66.7 field goal percentage. DeMarco continues to lead the league in made threes, with 26 for an average of 2.6 buckets from beyond the arc per game. Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) leads the assist and steal categories, averaging 6.8 assists and 3.6 steals per contest. Conkin ranks second in field goals per game, averaging 5.4.
 
HELPING OUT: Freshman Kristine Miller (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) has proven to be a force to reckon with as she leads the Pioneers in blocks with six total, collecting a career-best five against Hamilton on Dec. 9.
 
DOMINATING WEEKLY AWARDS: After her impressive outing at Hamilton, Miller nabbed her second E8 Rookie of the Week honor, after going 6-for-9 from the field while grabbing nine rebounds against the Continentals. Przygoda earned her fourth Player of the Week title after helping UC to go 2-1, while she averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds over the span. She also recorded a 62.5 field goal percentage.
 
SCOUTING UNION: The Dutchwomen are currently 3-4, taking down Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 62-28 on Dec. 10. Union was able to hold the Trailblazers to sub-20 percent shooting, forcing 25 turnovers in the process. The Pioneers have also faced off with MCLA this season, claiming their Nov. 23 matchup, 80-54, behind a double-double from Przygoda (28 points and 14 rebounds).
Amber Raisner leads her squad in scoring as she averages 8.3 points per game, while tying for the lead in made field goals per game, 3.3, with Elly Vaughan. Vaughan leads the battle on the boards with 7.3 rebounds per game.
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Pioneers have faced off with the Dutchwomen 25 times throughout program history, with the latter owning a 20-5 all-time record. When the pair met last season, it was Union who was able to come out on top with a 71-59 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC will host its conference-opener on Jan. 7, set to faceoff with The Sage Colleges at 7:30 p.m.