Pirates Travel To Villanova for New Year's Eve Showdown

[Halldan1]

Pirates Travel To Villanova for New Year's Eve Showdown - Seton Hall University Athletics

Seton Hall will return to action on Friday, December 31 when it returns to BIG EAST play at Finneran Pavilion against local rival Villanova. Tip time is sche...

shupirates.com

VILLANOVA, PENNSYLVANIA - Finneran Pavilion SETON HALL (6-5, 1-2) vs. VILLANOVA (6-5, 0-2) Date Time Live Video Live Audio Live Stats Twitter Fri., Dec. 31 2:00 PM LIVE STATS @SHUWBB

THE GAME
Seton Hall will return to action on Friday, December 31 when it returns to BIG EAST play at Finneran Pavilion against local rival Villanova. Tip time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

MEDIA
The game will be streamed live by the BIG EAST Digital Network and available to FloSports subscribers with Nick Mantegna, Christine Motta and Meghan Caffrey on the call. As usual, the game will also be available over the airwaves at 89.5 FM WSOU and at wsou.net. Joe Matthews and Ryan Henry will describe the action on the radio. Live stats will also be available.

WSOU is now also airing a post-game "Hall Line" show following its women's basketball games. Be sure to tune in after the final buzzer.

LAST GAME
Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Ossining, N.Y.) and Sidney Cooks (Kenosha, Wis.) recorded double-doubles and the Pirates withstood a late Seahawk rally to defeat Wagner, 70-62, in Walsh Gym on Dec. 21.

The victory is the Pirates' third in their last four games and boosts their record over .500 (6-5) as the non-conference portion of their schedule draws to a close.

Espinoza-Hunter erupted for a game-high 20 points to go with 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in a strong all-around game. Cooks had 17 points and career-highs of 14 rebounds and six blocks. Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) had a season-high 11 assists, while Mya Jackson (Wilmington, Ohio) had 16 points on the strength of four made three-pointers.

vs.

Seton Hall All-Time vs. the Wildcats: Villanova leads, 45-24
2020-21 Meetings:
HALL 67, Villanova 55 (F) – Feb. 27, 2021 (Pavilion)
Villanova 78, HALL 71 (F) – Jan. 6, 2021 (Walsh)

LAST YEAR AGAINST VILLANOVA
Last season, Seton Hall and Villanova split the season series, with each team winning on the road.

On January 6, Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) scored a game-high 27 points, but the Pirates fell to Villanova, 78-71, at Walsh Gym. Park-Lane notched her third straight 20-point game, going 7-for-14 from the floor and a near-perfect 12-for-13 from the free-throw line.

On Feb. 27, Desiree Elmore erupted for team-highs of 21 points and 16 rebounds as the Pirates picked up a convincing road victory over Villanova, 67-55. Seton Hall led for the majority of the game and never trailed after the first quarter. A 9-0 burst early in the third quarter proved to be the difference-maker as the Pirates won their fourth game in a row.

Elmore was brilliant, scoring a team-high 21 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the floor and 8-for-10 from the free-throw line. She also pulled down 16 rebounds and dished out four assists. Lauren Park-Lane also had a huge game, going for 20 points and dished out five assists. Andra Espinoza-Hunter added 16 more points and grabbed seven rebounds in 40 minutes played.

SCOUTING VILLANOVA
The Wildcats are coming off a successful 17-7 campaign during the abbreviated 2020-21 season, including a 9-5 mark in conference play. They were eliminated from the BIG EAST Tournament by the eventual champion, UConn, in the semifinals. Villanova then defeated UMass and Florida n the WNIT before ending their season with a loss to Delaware in the quarterfinals.

This year, Villanova is predicted to finish fifth in the 11-team BIG EAST Conference, according to the Preseason Coaches' Poll. Lauren Van Kleunen was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. The dominant Maddy Siegrist, who led the BIG EAST in both scoring and rebounding last season, was a unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST selection.

Villanova enters its contest with Seton Hall with a 6-5 overall record and an 0-2 mark in conference play. The Wildcats have won three straight and are coming off a 66-56 victory over La Salle on Dec. 21. Seton Hall and Villanova have already had two common opponents, Lehigh and Princeton. While the Pirates defeated both, Nova edged Lehigh 65-60 on Dec. 1, and fell to Princeton in the season-opener, 59-42. In BIG EAST play, Villanova lost a pair of road contests at Providence and Creighton. Friday's game against The Hall will be their first home BIG EAST game of the year.

UP NEXT
Seton Hall will return to action on Friday, Jan. 7 when it hosts BIG EAST rival Butler in Walsh Gymnasium for Kids' Day. Tip time is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. The game will be streamed live by the BIG EAST Digital Network and available for FloSports subscribers.

 

[SPK145]

Dang, another loss, what's going on?

 

[metalpirate07]

Dang, another loss, what's going on?

I was at The Pavilion for this one earlier. Cooks looked gassed by the end and it seemed like Lauren was forcing too much trying to play hero ball in the 4th. Refs weren’t calling jack. Never really seemed to get into a sustained rhythm for more than a few minutes. Up 12 at one point in the first half and the lead just whittled away. The effort was there just something seemed off today. I thought I read the ladies may have had some Covid issues recently as I think they were shorthanded against Wagner but not enough for a shutdown, so maybe that could have been a factor? (Apologies if I’m mixing things up I don’t mean that as speculation or criticism) This team can be deadly if the 3 point shooting is on point. Talent was even on paper between these squads so this wasn’t a bad loss, just tough to see it slip away.
Side note, this was my first time seeing the Nova campus and The Pavilion, it’s even smaller in person than it looks on tv. I have no idea how they cram 6500 in there. Reminds me a little of the RAC but half the size and way nicer. They repurposed the floors from the two championships into the concourses which was pretty neat. Such a shame that we didn’t have the foresight and ability decades ago to expand Walsh into something like that back when we had more space but oh well that’s life.

 

[MBF72]

When did we ever have "more space"?

Agree that it would be great to have a 6500 seat arena.

 

[lloyde dobler]

I was at The Pavilion for this one earlier. Cooks looked gassed by the end and it seemed like Lauren was forcing too much trying to play hero ball in the 4th. Refs weren’t calling jack. Never really seemed to get into a sustained rhythm for more than a few minutes. Up 12 at one point in the first half and the lead just whittled away. The effort was there just something seemed off today. I thought I read the ladies may have had some Covid issues recently as I think they were shorthanded against Wagner but not enough for a shutdown, so maybe that could have been a factor? (Apologies if I’m mixing things up I don’t mean that as speculation or criticism) This team can be deadly if the 3 point shooting is on point. Talent was even on paper between these squads so this wasn’t a bad loss, just tough to see it slip away.
Side note, this was my first time seeing the Nova campus and The Pavilion, it’s even smaller in person than it looks on tv. I have no idea how they cram 6500 in there. Reminds me a little of the RAC but half the size and way nicer. They repurposed the floors from the two championships into the concourses which was pretty neat. Such a shame that we didn’t have the foresight and ability decades ago to expand Walsh into something like that back when we had more space but oh well that’s life.

South Orange wouldn’t go let them back in the ‘80s. That’s why you got the Rec Center instead. Nova had the same problems in the early 80s as well. Pavillion was supposed to be bigger, but the local township said no.

 

[lloyde dobler]

Dang, another loss, what's going on?

Gee, who could ever have expected these results….

 

[sami]

Gee, who could ever have expected these results….

Lol, I was killed by the Rah Rah Women’s Team Club for saying we’ve disappointed.

 

[sami]

The team has not had everyone together the entire year. Between Covid and injuries, they just haven’t had it. Hope they turn something on but looking dire.

 

[Harty9]

But no complaints about only 7 players

 

[lloyde dobler]

This team has been struggling from the get-go

 

[Halldan1]

Pirates Fall Late as Villanova Rallies in Fourth Quarter, 76-73 - Seton Hall University Athletics

Sidney Cooks (Kenosha, Wis.) and Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) had double-doubles, but Villanova rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Seton Hall women's basketball team, 76-73, on Friday.

shupirates.com

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Pirates Fall Late as Villanova Rallies in Fourth Quarter, 76-73​

73 Seton Hall 6-6,1-3 Big East 76 Villanova 7-5,1-2 Big East Score By Periods Team 1 2 3 4 F Seton Hall 20 19 18 16 73 Villanova 14 19 17 26 76

Sidney Cooks and Lauren Park-Lane registered double-doubles in the road setback.​

VILLANOVA, PA. – Sidney Cooks (Kenosha, Wis.) and Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) had double-doubles, but Villanova rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Seton Hall women's basketball team, 76-73, on Friday.

The Pirates held a seven-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Villanova out-scored The Hall, 26-16, in the final 10 minutes.

Cooks finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and two assists for her second double-double of the season. Park-Lane had 12 points and 10 assists.

Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Ossining, N.Y.) finished with a team-best 20 points to go with six rebounds and two steals, while Mya Jackson (Wilmington, Ohio) tallied 16 points, three rebounds and two assists. Curtessia Dean (Monroe, La.) tallied career-bests of 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Story:
Trailing 6-2 early in the first quarter, the Pirates went on an 14-2 run, which included four made three-pointers, including two from Dean, to grab a 16-8 advantage with 3:58 left. The Hall stayed hot and took a 20-13 lead into the second quarter.

In the second frame, The Hall's lead grew to as many as 13 points when a pair of Park-Lane free-throws gave it a 33-20 advantage with 3:31 left in the half. Villanova, however, responded by hitting their last five shots of the half, and cut their deficit to 39-33 at the break. The Pirates out-rebounded Villanova, 20-to-15, in the first 20 minutes and committed just one turnover.

Villanova made a run in the third quarter and grabbed a 48-47 lead with 3:41 left in the third quarter. The Hall bounced back, however, and closed out the quarter with a 10-2 run. A turnaround jumper by Cooks gave the Pirates a 57-50 advantage with just 29 seconds left in the third.

A jumper by Jackson gave The Hall a 61-56 lead with 8:02 left in the game, but Villanova responded with an 8-2 run to take a 64-63 advantage with 5:25 to go. The Pirates kept it a one-possession game until Villanova extended its lead on the free-throw line late. A layup by Espinoza-Hunter cut The Hall's deficit to three points 76-73, with only nine seconds left. The Hall was able to turn the Wildcats over, but the potential game-tying three-pointer didn't fall in the game's final seconds.

Inside the Numbers:

• Seton Hall was 26-for-68 (38.2%) from the floor for the game, while Villanova was 30-for-64 (46.9%). The Hall was 8-for-18 (44.4%) from three-point range, while the Wildcats were 8-for-30 (26.7%).
• Cooks finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and two assists.
• Villanova narrowly out-rebounded The Hall, 39-to-38, but the Pirates were more successful on the offensive glass, 12-to-9.
• Park-Lane tallied 12 points, a game-high 10 assists and only three turnovers.
• Seton Hall was an impressive 13-for-14 (92.9%) from the free-throw line, while Villanova was 8-for-12 (66.7%).
• Espinoza-Hunter had a team-high 20 points to go with six rebounds and two steals.
• Seton Hall forced 11 turnovers, while Villanova forced only seven. The Pirates out-scored Villanova in points-off-turnovers, 14-to-5.
• Jackson finished with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists.
• Dean had career-highs of 10 points and seven rebounds.

News & Notes:

• Seton Hall falls to 6-6 overall and 1-3 in BIG EAST games, while Villanova improves to 7-5 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
• Seton Hall drops to 24-46 all-time against Villanova.
• Park-Lane has now recorded at least seven assists in eight of the last 10 games.
• With 16 points today, Jackson surpassed the 600-point milestone for her career.
• With 10 assists today, Park-Lane broke into the top-10 on Seton Hall's career assist list. She moved past former Pirate Tonya Alleyne and into a tie with Kaela Hilaire for ninth place all-time with 319 career assists.
• Espinoza-Hunter has now reached double-figures in scoring in 18 straight games dating back to last season.
• Espinoza-Hunter's 20-point game is her sixth of the season and the 13th in her Seton Hall career.
• This is the first time Seton Hall has lost this season when having a fourth quarter lead.
• Seton Hall drops to 6-2 all-time when playing on New Year's Eve.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Tuesday, January 4 when it wraps up non-conference play with a newly-added contest against Towson in Walsh Gym. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The contest will be streamed by the Pirate Sports Network and available to FloSports subscribers.

 

[SOBO1]

When did we ever have "more space"?

Agree that it would be great to have a 6500 seat arena.

Complete guess but I bet it could have been built bigger at time of construction or shortly thereafter. The space was/is there if they really wanted to do it. The problem is the town.

hindsight is 20/20 tho...

 

[SPK145]

Gee, who could ever have expected these results….

Karma

 

[NYC Pirate]

They seem to lose so many games in 4th quarters. Do they run out of steam? I didn't see this particular game but in the past the offense loses structure late. Maybe you have players that were the go-to person in high school and they revert to this type of play down the stretch. Some call it hero ball.

 

[lloyde dobler]

They seem to lose so many games in 4th quarters. Do they run out of steam? I didn't see this particular game but in the past the offense loses structure late. Maybe you have players that were the go-to person in high school and they revert to this type of play down the stretch. Some call it hero ball.

Others call it coaching!