UTICA, NY – The Utica College women's basketball team is set to battle Houghton College in its final home game of the season on Tuesday evening. The matchup is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. 

Last Time Out: Utica fell in a pair of road contests to Nazareth and St. John Fisher Colleges over the weekend. In Saturday's 69-65 matchup with Fisher, Utica was able to open up a 14-12 lead in the first quarter, powered by three layups from Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold). The Freehold, NJ native led her squad in scoring with 25 points, while collecting 12 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season. Trailing close behind in the point count was Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) who gathered 19, going 4-for-10 from behind the arc. Conkin also added a team-best six assists. 

Making It: With the regular season coming to an end, the Pioneers are fighting for a place in the Empire 8's four-team playoffs. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Currently tied for fourth with Hartwick in the standings, Utica can finish anywhere from second to fifth. A win over Houghton would be enough to clinch.

Leading the Way: The duo of Conkin and Przygoda continue to be forces on the court, leading their teams and the conference in many areas. Conkin also finds herself ranked second nationally in assists (159) and fourth in per game assists per game (6.91). 

The Los Altos, CA native leads her squad and conference in steals (77). She is second on the team in points (400) and points per game (17.4), while ranking third in rebounds (76). 

Przygoda ranks atop her team and the league in made field goals (169), field goal percentage (.581), and points per game (18.8). She is second in points (432) and rebounds per game (10.8), while ranking third in rebounds (248) and made free throws (93). 

Last Meeting with Houghton: The pair last met on Jan. 24, when Utica was able to come away with a narrow 68-60 road win. Przygoda led the team on both ends of the court, collecting 26 points and 10 rebounds. Conkin contributed 17 points and a team-best four steals. 

Scouting the Highlanders: Houghton split a pair of home contests over the weekend, falling to Hartwick 59-58 on Friday, before defeating Elmira 70-47 on Saturday. Brooke Lewandowski and Hannah Cybart led their team in scoring, each collecting 13 points. Lewandowski also posted nine rebounds, while Cybart put up five rebounds and three assists. 

Cybart leads her team offensively, with bests in points (262), points per game (11.4) and field goals made (103). 

Emie Taylor leads the team in rebounds (191) and blocks (28), while ranking second in points (251).

Up Next: UC will hit the road for it final regular season contest, set to take on Sage at 4 p.m. on Saturday.