UTICA, NY - After an impressive 86-37 win over SUNY Delhi in its season opener, the Utica College women's basketball team will play its home opener at 5 p.m. on November 13 against Alfred St. in what will be the first of a three-game homestand. 
 
Follow Along: Fans can keep up with live video and/or live stats through https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/. 
 
Last Time Out: UC claimed its seventh consecutive season opening win on November 6 after defeating SUNY Delhi on the road, 86-37. Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) finished with a 19 point, 11 rebound double-double in her season debut while both of those marks were team highs. The senior was extremely effective from the floor, shooting 7-for-9 on the afternoon. Julianna Beaulieu (Chicopee,MA/Chicopee Comprehensive) totaled 14 points and eight rebounds while going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Cora Sawyer (New London, CT/New London) went on to finish with 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting as well as coming away with nine rebounds while teammate Julia Rotando (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) finished the afternoon with eight points and nine boards. Hannah Stack (Dogleville, NY/Dolgeville) also came down with nine rebounds as a part of the team's total of 87. The Pioneers held the Broncos to 25.9 percent shooting from the field throughout the game while also limiting them the 1-for-7 from three. Utica also held an 87-29 advantage in rebounds over Delhi while shooting 33 percent from the floor. 
 
Aint' Nothin' Like Home Sweet: When Utica takes the court on Saturday it will be the first time the team has played a non-exhibition game on Miga Court in 634 days. The team defeated Houghton College 68-61 on February 18, 2020 in what was UC's most recent home game. The Pioneers compiled a 9-3 mark at home in the 2019-20 season and will be eager to play in front of the home crowd once again come Saturday evening. 
 
Wasting No Time: The 2019-20 Empire 8 First Team All-Conference selection, Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold), picked up right where she had left off that season. After over a one year layoff, Przygoda came out with a 19 point, 11 rebound double-double to begin her campaign for conference player of the year. The senior further packed her statsheet with seven offensive boards, three steals and an assist as a part of her 7-for-9 shooting performance.
 
No Rust Here: With Przygoda coming out of the gates hot, it was easy to overlook the value brought to the court last Saturday by others including Cora Sawyer (New London, CT/New London), Julianna Beaulieu (Chicopee,MA/Chicopee Comprehensive), Julia Rotando (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane), Hannah Stack (Dogleville, NY/Dolgeville) and Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic) to name a few. Sawyer netted a career high 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting while also coming down with a career high nine rebounds. Beaulieu impressed in just 16 minutes of court time with 14 points on 3-for-6 shooting from the field as well as 2-for-three from deep and 6-for-8 from the charity stripe. The sophomore's eight rebounds stemmed from an even four offense and four defensive. Rotando and Stack grabbed nine boards each in just 14 minutes while Johndrow facilitated the offense with a team high three assists to add to her eight point, seven rebound outing. There were 11 different players who scored in the game as the depth of the Pioneers was on full display in what was a total team effort to start the year. 
 
You Get a Rebound!: With its 87-29 rebound advantage over the Broncos last weekend, Utica nearly set a pair of NCAA single game records, according to the record book provided by the NCAA. The Pioneers finished nine rebounds shy of the single game team record which still stands at 96, set in 1984, and with a +58 rebound advantage the team was five shy of tying the record of +63 set in 2019. Impressively, Przygoda was the only member of the team to finish with double digit rebounds (11) while all but one player recorded at least one rebound. Sawyer, Rotando and Stack finished with nine each, Beaulieu and Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) totaled eight each, Johndrow and Kelsey Carter (Shamong, NJ/Seneca) totaled seven each, Krissy Geraci (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) with five, Kristine Miller (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) and Hope Halvarson (Cranton, RI/Cranton East) had four each while Logan Taylor (Henrietta, NY/Rush-Henrietta) (two) and Anna Rossi (Verona, NY/VVS) (one) added to the onslaught. 
 
About Alfred St.: The Pioneers will come into Saturday with a 1-0 record after defeating SUNY Delhi on Wednesday night, 60-49. Alfred St. has 11 players on the roster, none of which being seniors while just two are juniors. The team will rely on its young talent this season consisting of three sophomores and six freshmen. However, it was a combination of junior Emily Kelly and freshman Ivette Lewandowski who led the Pioneers to a win on Wednesday night as Kelly led the team with 19 points and 11 rebounds while Lewandowski totaled 12 points on just 5-for-187 shooting. UC is 2-0 all-time against Alfred St. with a 71-52 win at home in the 2018-19 season and a 74-66 win on the road in 2019-20. 

The Road Ahead: UC will return to the court at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 16 when it plays host to SUNY Oneonta from Miga Court.