UTICA, NY – The Utica College women's basketball team will hit the road for a pair of Empire 8 battles this weekend, kicking off at Nazareth College on Friday, with tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. The team will then travel to St. John Fisher College on Saturday for a 4 p.m. start time.

Last Time Out: UC was able to take down Alfred University in a Senior Day matchup on Saturday, claiming a 72-49 win. Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) recorded team-bests in points with 24 and rebounds, grabbing nine boards, all of which came off the defensive glass. Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic) posted a career-high five three-pointers (5-for-8), finding herself second in scoring and rebounds, with marks of 17 and seven, respectively. Johndrow also recorded a team-best three steals. Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) had a team-high nine assists, while also posting eight points and eight rebounds.

Where We Stand: The Pioneers have an overall record of 14-7, and are currently tied for third in the conference with a record of 7-3, looking to clinch a playoff berth this weekend. Heading into this weekend, both Utica and Naz have seven wins, while UC has one game in hand.
 
Impressive Statistics: Conkin continues to rank amongst the top-3 best helpers in the nation, currently ranking second in total assists with 148, while ranking third in assists per game, averaging 7.0. While leading her squad in both assist related categories, the senior also leads in steals with 73. She is second in points with 361 and in points per game, currently averaging 17.2 per contest.

Przygoda proves to be a force on both ends of the court, leading in several offensive and defensive categories. The Freehold, NJ native is first in field goals made (155), free-throws made (83), points scored (394), points per game (18.8), rebounds (228) and rebounds per game (10.9).

Along with Conkin and Przygoda, Johndrow is the only other Pioneer to appear and start in all 21 contests this season.
 
Coach Davis Reaching Milestones: Head Coach Michele Davis recently recorded her 250^th win this season. Davis has led the Pioneers to two NCAA Tournament appearances, along with a pair of Empire 8 Championships. During her tenure at UC, the 2002-2003 Coach of the Year has guided 42 student-athletes to All-Conference recognition, seeing three named Player of the Year, and two Rookies of the Year
 
Previous Matchup with Naz: In the pair's last meeting on Jan. 18, it was the Pioneers who came out on top in a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the visiting Golden Flyers, 89-79. This was UC's first win against them since Feb. 2, 2017. Conkin had a standout performance as she finished with a career-high 33 points and added a team-best five steals and seven assists. Przygoda collected her seventh double-double of the year as she finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, including six off the offensive glass.  Conkin and Przygoda were also lights out on free throws, combining for 19-of-22 from the charity strip.  Sophomore Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) also had a big game for the Pioneers as she finished with a career-best 20 points, including 6-of-11 from three-point land.
 
Scouting the Golden Flyers: Nazareth is currently tied for third in the Empire 8 with an in-conference record of 7-4, going 15-7 overall. Naz's leading scorer, senior Rachel Benedict, collected her 12^th double-double of the season on 13 points and 12 rebounds as the Golden Flyers fell 71-60 at Hartwick on Sunday.
 
Previous Matchup with Fisher: It was the visiting Cardinals who collected a 66-53 road win on Jan. 17, despite the Pioneers jumping out to a quick lead to open the contest. UC controlled play in the opening minutes, leading by as many as eight points with four remaining on the board in the first quarter. Conkin finished the day with a game-high 21 points, the seventh time this season that she has reached this mark. She also dished out six helpers while grabbing five rebounds.
 
Scouting the Cardinals: St. John Fisher sits atop the league with a 9-2 E8 record, going 16-6 overall. In its last time out, Fisher took down Elmira 76-47 on the road. Miranda Lynch led her squad's offensive domination, recording a team-best 16 points as she went 6-for-9 shooting. Lynch also grabbed seven rebounds while contributing two steals.
 
Up Next: The Pioneers will return home for a postponed matchup against Houghton College on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.