Cooks, Pirates Shock Raiders with Late Rally; Will Play for WNIT Title - Seton Hall University Athletics
Senior Sidney Cooks (Kenosha, Wis.) hit the game-winning shot with 2.4 seconds left to lift the Seton Hall women's basketball team to a thrilling 74-73 victo...
74
Seton Hall 24-12,12-8 Big East
73
Middle Tenn. 27-8,14-4 C-USA
Score By Periods
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seton Hall | 16 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 74 |
| Middle Tenn. | 14 | 12 | 24 | 23 | 73 |
Sidney Cooks goes off for 28 points and seven rebounds and the Pirates rallied from a four-point deficit with 23 seconds left.
MURFREESBORO, TENN. – Senior Sidney Cooks (Kenosha, Wis.) hit the game-winning shot with 2.4 seconds left to lift the Seton Hall women's basketball team to a thrilling 74-73 victory over Middle Tennessee on Thursday.The Pirates trailed by four points with only 23 seconds left, but Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) completed a three-point play with 17 seconds left to cut The Hall's deficit to one. Sophomore Amari Wright (Jacksonville, Fla.) then stole the ball to give possession back to The Hall. Off a timeout, Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Ossining, N.Y.) found Cooks for a layup to give Seton Hall the lead with only 2.4 left to play.
Seton Hall will now play for the WNIT Championship at South Dakota State on Saturday, April 2 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Cooks had a monster effort for the Pirates, scoring a game-high 28 points on an efficient 10-for-13 shooting, which included 4-for-4 from three-point range. She also had a team-best seven rebounds. Park-Lane notched a double-double with 16 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. The 5-foot-3 point guard also had two blocks.
The Story:
Seton Hall roared out of the gate and a made jumper by Park-Lane gave it an 11-4 lead with 5:10 left in the opening quarter. The Lady Raiders closed the gap, but neither team scored in the last 2:17 as The Hall enjoyed a 16-14 lead after the first 10 minutes.
Leading 18-16 just two minutes into the second quarter, the Pirates held Middle Tennessee scoreless for the next 5:34 and used the drought to go on a game-changing 20-0 run. During the burst, Cooks scored 13 points, including three made three-pointers. When the dust settled, The Hall led 38-16 with 3:28 left to play before halftime. The Lady Raiders, however, closed the first half with a 10-0 burst of their own, and the Pirates' lead was trimmed to 38-26 at the break.
In the third quarter the Pirates boosted their lead back to 15 points on a three-pointer by Espinoza-Hunter, but Middle Tennessee responded with seven quick points in just over a minute to cut their deficit to 43-35 with 6:47 left. The Hall carried a 57-50 lead into the fourth quarter.
Middle Tennessee opened the fourth with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 57. The Pirates, however, bounced back with a 10-3 run, and a floater by Park-Lane put them up, 67-60, with only 4:35 left in the game. The Lady Raiders then scored the next 11 points to grab a 71-67 lead with 1:06 left in the game. The lead was still four with 23 seconds left when the Pirates mounted their improbable comeback.
Inside the Numbers:
- Seton Hall was 29-for-61 (47.5%) from the floor for the game, while Middle Tennessee was 25-for-65 (38.5%). The Hall was 10-for-20 (50.0%) from three-point range, while the Lady Raiders were 11-for-33 (33.3%).
- Cooks had a game-high 28 points on 10-for-13 shooting, including 4-for-4 from three-point range. She also had a team-high seven rebounds, two assists and a block.
- Middle Tennessee out-rebounded The Hall, 40-to-33, which included a 13-to-6 advantage on the offensive glass. Five of the Lady Raiders' offensive rebounds came on one possession early in the fourth quarter.
- Park-Lane finished with 16 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and two blocks.
- Seton Hall was 6-for-7 (85.7%) from the free-throw line, while Middle Tennessee was 12-for-14 (85.7%).
- Espinoza-Hunter had 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
- Seton Hall forced 11 turnovers, while Middle Tennessee forced 12.
- Mya Jackson (Wilmington, Ohio) had 13 points on the strength of 3-for-6 shooting from three-point range. She also had four rebounds.
- Seton Hall improves to 24-12 overall, while Middle Tennessee's season comes to an end with a final record of 27-8. The Pirates have now won 16 of their last 18 games.
- Tonight's game was the 36th of the season for the Pirates, which adds to a new single-season program record.
- This was the first-ever game between Seton Hall and Middle Tennessee.
- The Hall is now 9-6 all-time in the WNIT and advances to the WNIT Championship Game for the first time.
- Seton Hall's 24 wins are its most since collecting 28 victories during the 2014-15 season.
- Park-Lane is now averaging 25.0 points and 7.0 assists in five WNIT games this postseason.
- Tonight's effort is Cooks' eighth 20-point game of the season. She has reached double-figures in scoring for the 17th straight game, which leads the team.
- With 16 points tonight, Park-Lane moved past former Pirate legend Phyllis Mangina into 14th place on Seton Hall's career scoring list. She also surpassed the 1,200-point mark for her career.
- Seton Hall improves to 22-1 when it out-shoots its opponent this season.
- The Pirates have now won five straight games for the third time this season. The last time Seton Hall had three separate streaks of at last five wins was during the 2015-16 season.
With the victory, Seton Hall advances to the WNIT Championship Game at South Dakota State on Saturday, April 2. Tip time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
