Down 9 in the 4th quarter but......

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Pirates Rally Past Drexel in Fourth to Advance to Elite 8 - Seton Hall University Athletics

Down nine points in the fourth quarter, the Seton Hall women's basketball team completed a furious late rally to upend Drexel, 78-71, in Walsh Gym on Monday and advance to the WNIT Elite Eight.

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Pirates Rally Past Drexel in Fourth to Advance to Elite 8​

71 Drexel 28-6,16-2 CAA 78 Seton Hall 22-12,12-8 Big East Score By Periods Team 1 2 3 4 F Drexel 11 21 19 20 71 Seton Hall 17 18 12 31 78

Park-Lane erupts for 29 points and 11 assists as The Hall comes back from nine down in the fourth.​

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Down nine points in the fourth quarter, the Seton Hall women's basketball team completed a furious late rally to upend Drexel, 78-71, in Walsh Gym on Monday and advance to the WNIT Elite Eight.

This is now the farthest the Pirates have ever advanced in the postseason, WNIT or NCAA Tournament. The Hall will next travel to nearby Columbia for a quarterfinal contest on Monday, March 28 at 8:00 p.m.

Seton Hall had a monster fourth quarter, outscoring the Dragons, 31-20, to turn a nine-point deficit into a seven-point victory. The Pirates were 11-for-14 in the fourth quarter overall, 4-for-5 from three-point range and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.

Junior Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) and senior Sidney Cooks (Kenosha, Wis.) had double-doubles. Park-Lane erupted for game-highs of 29 points to go with 11 assists and three steals, while Cooks notched 19 points and a team-best 10 rebounds. Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Ossining, N.Y.) and Mya Jackson (Wilmington, Ohio) both added 12 points.

The Story:
Seton Hall opened the game hot from the field and raced out to a 9-2 lead. Espinoza-Hunter's second made three-pointer sent the Pirates to the media timeout with a 12-5 advantage. The Pirates' defense was stifling, holding the Dragons to just 21.4% shooting from the floor in the first 10 minutes and they took a 17-11 lead into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, both teams were strong from the field, both shooting better than 53%. A layup by Park-Lane gave The Hall a 27-21 lead, but Drexel answered with an 11-5 run to tie the game at 32 with just 1:26 left before halftime. Park-Lane closed out the half with a three-pointer to send the Pirates into the break, up 35-32.

A three-pointer by Park-Lane ended a Seton Hall drought of 3:25 and put The Hall up, 42-38, with 5:09 left to play in the third quarter. Drexel scored seven of the next nine points to take a 45-44 lead, their first of the game, but Jackson hit a three-pointer to put The Hall back on top, 47-45, with 1:39 left in the third.

Drexel closed out the third quarter by scoring the last six points and opened the fourth with the first five. The Dragons' 11-0 run gave them a commanding 56-47 lead with 8:47 left to play. Trailing 58-50, the Pirates went on an 11-2 run, and a jumper by Cooks gave the lead back to The Hall, 61-60, with 4:02 remaining.

Clinging to a 68-67 lead with just 1:39 left, Katie Armstrong (Collegeville, Pa.) grabbed an offensive rebound and fired it out to Park-Lane, who drilled a three-pointer. Armstrong then stole the ball at midcourt and out-raced Drexel to the hoop for two more. Drexel called a timeout, and the Walsh Gym faithful erupted. Now up six, the Pirates were able to ice the game on the free-throw line.

Inside the Numbers:

• Seton Hall was 28-for-52 (53.8%) from the floor for the game, while Drexel was 28-for-62 (45.2%). The Hall was 11-for-21 (52.4%) from three-point range, while the Dragons were 6-for-21 (28.6%).
• Park-Lane erupted for a game-high 29 points on an efficient 9-for-14 shooting, including 5-for-8 from three-point range. She also had 11 assists, three steals and only three turnovers.
• The Hall edged Drexel on the glass, 29-to-28, but the Dragons had an 8-to-3 advantage in offensive rebounds.
• Cooks had 19 points and a team-best 10 rebounds.
• Seton Hall was a perfect 11-for-11 (100.0%) from the free-throw line, while Drexel was 9-for-10 (90.0%).
• Espinoza-Hunter had 12 points on four made three-pointers. She also had eight rebounds and three steals.
• Seton Hall forced 10 turnovers, while Drexel forced 14.
• Jackson had 12 points, on the strength of a pair of made three-pointers. She also had two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• Armstrong was crucial for the Pirates off the bench tonight with four points, three assists, two blocks and two rebounds.

News & Notes:

• Seton Hall improves to 22-12 overall, while Drexel's season comes to an end with a final record of 28-6. The Pirates have now won 14 of their last 16 games.
• Tonight's game was the 34th of the season for the Pirates, which ties the single-season program record.
• The Pirates improve to 3-1 all-time against the Dragons.
• The Hall is now 7-6 all-time in the WNIT and advances to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.
• The Pirates improve to 106-40 in Walsh Gym during the Anthony Bozzella era and 53-8 in Walsh against non-conference opponents.
• Seton Hall's 22 wins are its most since collecting 23 victories during the 2015-16 season.
• Park-Lane's 20-point game is her 16th this season and the 22nd of her career.
• Cooks reached double-figures in scoring for the 15th straight game, which leads the team.
• With 29 points tonight, Park-Lane moved past former Pirate Gloria Bradley into 16th place on Seton Hall's career scoring list.
• With 19 points tonight, Cooks became the 69th player in Seton Hall history to record 500 career points in a Pirate uniform. She also topped 1,200 points for her impressive career overall.
• Cooks' double-double is her team-leading 12th of the season.
• Seton Hall improves to 10-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponent and 20-1 when it out-shoots its opponent.
• Tonight's effort is the largest fourth-quarter deficit (nine points) overcome by Seton Hall in a victory this year.

Up Next:
With the victory, Seton Hall advances to the Elite Eight round of the WNIT and will next travel to Columbia on Monday, March 28. Tip time is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.