Game preview: Seton Hall has a Thanksgiving contest against Georgia Tech in the Junkanoo Jam

Date: November 28, 2019

By: Ronny Castaneda

Seton Hall Pirates will open up Thanksgiving action in the Bahamas against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Junkanoo Jam at 5:15 p.m.

Both teams played in a similar tournament around Christmas time last year, which saw the Yellow Jackets grind out an 84-73 victory. The Pirates (4-2) have kept their poise ever since losing Big East Preseason player of the year Shadeen Samuels to a hamstring injury nearly two weeks ago. For the most part, the Pirates’ workload has been distributed evenly around its regular rotation.

The Pirates are coming off of an upsetting loss to Lehigh on Friday. In the match, junior Desiree Elmore continued to hold it down for the pirates as Shadeen Samuels was nursing a hamstring injury. Elmore recorded a team high 20 points and racked up a career-high 16 rebounds.

Elmore has absolutely taken over, even before the absence of Samuels. She leads the team in points, rebounds and blocks. She also stands in second for assists, only behind freshman guard Lauren Park-Lane. With a supporting cast of Barbara Johnson, Alexis Lewis, Park-Lane and Mya Jackson, The Pirates have enough scoring and facilitating options to run a smooth offense, and the speed of Park-Lane can the pirates a boost in transition.

It won’t be an easy one for the pirates as they’ll take on the undefeated Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackets in the bottom half of the ACC last year and are predicted to finish in a similar way this year.

Tech has a well-rounded team, with both sides of the ball becoming efficient. The team averages 44.3 rebounds a game. Lorela Cubaj and Kierra Fletcher are at the top of the list for team, averaging 8.3 and 7.3, respectively. The defense also proves to be wholesome for the team, as they limited Georgia state to 31% percent from the field and held Houston and Grambling state to a combined four points in the second quarter. Defense ranks first in the scoring column in the ACC in the early season.

The leading scorer for the Yellow Jackets is senior guard Francesca Pan, with 17.5 points a game. The senior was an ACC freshman of the year and has been a standout for Georgia Tech in all her years.

Two key things to look out for will be how Elmore and other Seton Hall rebounders will face up against the two-headed monster of Tech’s Cubaj and Fletcher. It will also be a test for Park-Lane and Johnson as they will to match Pan’s aggressiveness, while limiting her scoring.

Tune in to 89.5 FM WSOU for the coverage of this exciting matchup! Chris Russo and Wilnir Louis will be on the call from the Bahamas, tip-off is set for 5:15.

Ronny Castaneda can be reached at ronny.castaneda@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, WSOU, Women's Basketball