The Sacred Heart University Pioneers women’s basketball team notched their first NCAA Tournament win at the Division I level, which is a first for either the men’s or women’s basketball programs. It was also the first March Madness win for a Northeast Conference women’s team.
They played against Southern University, one of two HBCUs in the 2023 March Madness Women’s D1 NCAA tournament, and defeated them 57-47. They are now the underdog of the West Regional as the No. 16 seed and play No. 1 seeded Stanford at 7:30 p.m. ET on March 17th airing live on ESPN2.
Senior guard Olivia Tucker led the Pioneers with 13 points and freshman guard Ny’Ceara Pryor had 10 assists, eight rebounds, and 11 points. Junior forward Kelsey Wood added 10 points.
“I am so proud of our team’s effort. It was a true battle tonight. I am so proud of how our team rallied to make history tonight,” said SHU’s 10th year head coach Jessica Mannetti.
“We just made history, and we are not done with this story,” said Ny’Ceara Pryor, the NEC Player, Rookie and Defensive Player of the Year.
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