Seton Hall
Pirates handle Providence, 79-73 at Walsh Gymnasium
Date: January 13, 2019By Wilnir Louis
Seton Hall women’s basketball (11-5 Overall, 3-2 Conf.) fought for all four quarters, and in their final game of this weekend, they were able to defeat the Providence Friars (10-8 Overall, 2-4 Conf.) 79-73 inside of Walsh Gymnasium.
Seton Hall could not get anything going early on in the ball game. A jumper by Mary Baskerville and a three pointer by Kaela Webb brought the Pirates down in a 5-0 deficit early on. The Pirates were stuck in the hole for six minutes of play, until a layup by Desiree Elmore tied the game back up with the score being 16-16 with 1:48 left in the first quarter. The Friars went on a 5-2 run though to end the quarter, and at the end of the quarter, the Pirates were down 21-18.
To begin the second quarter, Inja Butina was able to get an and-one layup and convert her free throw to tie the game back up. The Pirates were able to obtain their first lead of the game after Shadeen Samuels made one of her two free throws to make the score 26-25 in favor of the Hall. Providence, still keeping up a fight, was able to regain a 33-28 lead with 6:59 left in the first half after two made free throws by Jovana Nogic. The Pirates got into a full court press, and were able to turn defense into offense and take the lead back after Nicole Jimenez was able to turn her steal to a three-point basket. Two more points by Jimenez, and the Pirates entered the half with a 38-33 lead.
In the third quarter, neither team could really get commanding control of momentum. The Pirates were able to get a five-point lead with 8:46 left in the third after a three by Jimenez gave the Pirates a 43-38 lead. The Friars would brought the score within one before the Pirates would get a four-point lead with the score being 50-46 with 5:21 left in the third. The Friars were able to fight back and tie up the score at 56 to end the third quarter.
To start the fourth quarter, neither team was able to score. It took three minutes for the score to change, with Andrea Cooper making a layup to take the lead. The Pirates would respond with a run, and Desiree Elmore was able to make a layup to have the Pirates lead 65-60 with 5:09 left in the game. With Elmore’s layup, the Pirates were able to get the lead they needed to close out the game. Every time the Friars would score, Seton Hall would respond right back with a basket of their own. This back and forth action would continue through the conclusion of the game, and when the final buzzer sounded, the Pirates came out victorious.
After the game, head coach Tony Bozzella gave high praises to the Pirates for being able to squeak this game out.
“I thought our girls showed a lot of toughness, and grittiness, and fight, and I was really proud of them.”
Bozzella also expressed how proud he was with Elmore, who had 10 points in the final frame to finish with a career high 16.
“I thought today [Elmore] really asserted herself, especially in the fourth quarter, and we needed that really bad.”
Seton Hall will return to action on Jan. 18, when they take the trip to Wisconsin to take on the No. 15 Marquette Golden Eagles. That game, which is scheduled to tip off at 12:30 P.M., will be broadcasted live on 89.5 FM WSOU, with pregame coverage beginning at 12:15.
Wilnir Louis can be reached at wilnir.louis@student.shu.edu.
