Rochester, NY – The Utica College women's basketball team finished off the weekend road trip on Saturday against Nazareth. The Pioneers lost, 66-52, as they drop to 7-15 overall and 2-11 in Empire 8 competition.
 
Briannah Florian (Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain) contributed a team-high 14 points to go with nine boards, while point guard Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) finished with 12 points. Freshman Cora Sawyer (New London, CT/New London) notched a career-high 11 points, marking just the second time in her young career scoring double-digits. Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) was close to a double-double with her stat line of nine points and 10 rebounds. Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic) made seven assists to go with six points.
 
The score remained close throughout the first half, as UC trailed by just one point at halftime. Florian shot 5-for-10 in the first to lead all scorers with 10 midway through the contest. Sawyer also had a strong outing in the opening half, scoring eight of her career-high points in the period. Utica was up by four with halftime approaching, but Nazareth closed the half out strong to earn a narrow advantage going into the locker room.
 
Nazareth was able to extend its lead to seven by the end of the third quarter, as Utica battled to keep the score close. However, a slow scoring fourth quarter for the Pioneers gave the Golden Flyers the opportunity to gain a comfortable lead down the stretch. UC was outscored 34-21 in the second half, ultimately leading to the 14 point loss on the road.
 
Florian, Conkin, and Sawyer all posted double-digit scoring performances in the game, combining for 37 of UC's points. Przygoda and Johndrow scored 15 together, but Utica did not receive any scoring from the bench.
 
Nazareth improves to 15-7 overall and 10-3 against E8 opponents this season. Lizzie Straub scored a game-high 16 points, making four shots from beyond the 3-point arc. Rachel Benedict recorded a double-double on 13 points and 14 rebounds, while teammate Erica Bradley dropped 13 points coming in off the pine.
 
The Pioneers finished up their road schedule on Saturday and are set to close the season out with three straight home contests. The team is back in action on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off with Elmira.