Sacred Heart endures highs and lows during final playoff push

Now, Sacred Heart is hoping to even make the MAAC Tournament. In its first season in the conference, the Pioneers sit three games outside of the No. 10 seed (currently co-inhabited by Canisius and Manhattan) with five games left.

The Pioneers don’t have the luxury of sealing their own fate. They have to rely on Rider (No. 11), Canisius, Manhattan and Merrimack (No. 8) losing to have a shot of getting in. But they did take care of business Thursday night against Merrimack.

“We’ve been struggling a little bit with our confidence. We’ve been struggling to knock shots down,” Mannetti told The Next. “Tonight, we didn’t struggle in those areas.”

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Sacred Heart won 74-48 over its old NEC rivals in its most convincing win over a playoff team this season.  The Pioneers were energetic, aggressive, quick and shot their threes incredibly well. They’re last in the MAAC in three-point percentage (23.5%), but notched a 42.1% mark over the Warriors. 

Junior guard Ny’Ceara Pryor, who leads the conference in average scoring with 19 points per game, had a hefty 19 along with nine rebounds and seven assists over the Warriors.

Pryor proved she can be a one-woman wrecking crew. The Baltimore native is also first in the MAAC in steals per game with 3.9 and fourth in NCAA Division One in the same statistic. She is also eighth in the MAAC in boards.

While Pryor can be called upon to have a breakout performance, what was different about this game was the secondary help from her teammates.

Junior guard Amelia Wood and sophomore center Emma Kirby notched 16 and 12 points, respectively. Specifically, Wood — a reigning All-NEC Third Team member — has struggled to shoot from three this season. Her 26.4% mark is the worst of her three years at Sacred Heart. But on Thursday night, she got her swagger back.

A few minutes into the second quarter, with Sacred Heart up by 12, Wood nailed her first three. Then came a second, and a third. Nine points scored in just over a minute, all on her own. Merrimack called a timeout, and as the bench exploded, Wood held her arms out and made threes with her hands. She finished the win 4-of-6 from three. 

“I’ve been waiting. I’ve been waiting for a long time,” Wood told The Next. “The hard work pays off.”

Sacred Heart coasted from there, eventually putting in sophomore guard Thai Davis and junior guard Grace John, benchwarmers, to play out garbage time. The 74-48 win was their sixth of the season, and their second largest margin of victory.

Sacred Heart’s season depends on what it can do following this momentum. It has a brilliant guard, secondary help and contagious energy radiating off the bench. The goal is simple for the Pioneers: make the MAAC Tournament. How does it do that? Maximizing effort and stringing together wins.

“We have to get two wins in a row,” Wood said.

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Saturday struggles

Saint Peter’s came into the Pitt Center coming off two wins in a row over Rider and No. 4-seeded Mount St. Mary’s. The Peacocks are fighting to secure a spot in Atlantic City, and beating the Pioneers was the next step to doing so.

Saint Peter’s dominated the first half, holding Sacred Heart to single digits in the first two quarters, and won 54-44 over the Pioneers. Sophomore forward Fatmata Janneh had 19 points on 18 rebounds. She was backed up by freshman forward De’Naya Rippey (11 points) and graduate guard Laila Grant (16 points).

On Thursday night, Mannetti mentioned the positives that come out of losing.

“When you lose, you learn more about yourself than you do when you win,” Mannetti said.

But Sacred Heart can’t lose much more. It has four games left against Marist, Fairfield, Manhattan and Iona and is three games out of a playoff spot. 

To get the postseason, the Pioneers have to win; plain and simple. It’s next opportunity to do so is Thursday, Feb. 27 against Marist. Tip-off is at 7 p.m E.T.