UTICA, NY – The Utica College women's basketball team will play back-to-back home games this weekend as the Pioneers face Alfred University on Friday at 5:30 p.m. for faculty/staff appreciation night then Houghton College on Saturday at 3 p.m. for the senior game.

Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night: Each student-athlete on the UC women's basketball team has a chance to nominate one professor or staff member to be honored at halftime for their contributions to the student-athlete experience on Friday night against Alfred. The professors will gather on the court at halftime and their names will be announced, alongside a brief paragraph about why the student-athlete submitted the nomination.   
Senior Game: The Pioneers will honor four seniors, Alayna Cormier (Williamsburg, VA/Warhill), Briannah Florian (Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain), Nicole Herringshaw (Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) and Cortlynn Jepsen (Hudson, NY/Hudson), prior to their game against Houghton College on Saturday.

Last Time Out: Last Saturday, the Pioneers fell 66-52 against Nazareth on the road. Senior Briannah Florian (Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain) led UC with 14 points and nine rebounds. Junior Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) had 12 points, five rebounds and five steals, while freshman Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) had nine points and 10 rebounds.

Scoring Leaders: UC has three players averaging above 10 points per game this season. Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) is the Pioneers' leading scorer, averaging 14.5 points per game. Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) is second behind Przygoda with 11.2 points per game. She is followed by sophomore Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic), who is averaging 10.0 points per game.

Dishing the Ball: Conkin is the team's assist leader with 5.0 assists per game. Second on the team is Johndrow, who has averages 4.4 assists per game. Both players have made their mark in the Empire 8, as Conkin is currently ranked first and Johndrow is fifth in the conference.

Rookie of the Year Candidate: Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) is making her presence felt around the league as she continues her momentum towards a potential E8 Rookie of the Year honor. As a freshman, she is ranked sixth in scoring (14.5 PPG), first in rebounds (12.2 per game) and first in offensive rebounds (5.5 per game) in the Empire 8 Conference. Przygoda was named the Empire 8 Rookie of the Week on Monday for the fourth time this season.

Scouting Alfred: The Saxons are 7-15 (3-10 E8) on the season, including a 1-8 record on the road, and currently sit in seventh in the E8. Jamie Wilcox (12.7 PPG) and Lyndsey McCoy (12.6 PPG) are the lone players averaging double figures in scoring for the Saxons. As a team, the Saxons allow 68.5 PPG, eighth in the E8, and put up 60.1 PPG, seventh in the E8. However, they do a great job protecting the ball as they own the third best turnover margin in the conference (+1.73).

Against Alfred: On Jan. 11, the Pioneers fell to Alfred on the road by a score of 71-57. Przygoda led the way in scoring for the Pioneers as she dropped 20 points on 50 percent shooting (9-18 FG) while grabbing 18 rebounds. Conkin added 14 points while Johndrow put up 10 of her own.

Scouting Houghton: The Highlanders are 11-11 (4-9 E8) on the season, including a 2-7 record on the road, and currently sit sixth in the E8. They own the third ranked scoring offense (65.6 PPG) as well as the third ranked defense (58.0 PPG allowed) in the conference. The team's 41.9 percent shooting percentage is second in the E8 however, the Highlanders are much cooler from beyond the arc shooting 29.8 percent. Brittany Lenart leads the team in scoring with 11.3 PPG.

Against Houghton: On Jan.12, the Pioneers fell to Houghton on the road by a score of 98-58. 11 Pioneers scored on the day however, Johndrow was the only one to reach double figures with 15 points. 29 of the 58 Pioneers points in this game came off of the bench.

Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will wrap up the 2018-19 campaign at home on Tuesday against Elmira College at 5:30 p.m.