Pirates picked up the pace in the second half to stop Xavier, 69-59

Date: February 28, 2020

By: Justin Morris

The Seton Hall women’s basketball team improved to 10-7 in conference play with a much- needed win vs. last-ranked Xavier Friday night at Walsh Gymnasium.

It was a slow start for coach Tony Bozella’s troupe, and the Pirates didn’t actually see a lead in the game until its second quarter. Turnovers plagued them early and often. They had seven total in the first quarter, and couldn’t seem to find a rhythm from a shooting standpoint either.

Sharpshooter Mya Jackson was absent from the rotation for the second-straight matchup after she lit up Creighton for seven three-pointers two games prior, and her presence was visibly sorely missed. Junior guard Jasmine Smith received the majority of Jackson’s replacement minutes. She made the most of her playing time, sinking two early buckets including an and-one layup to keep the Pirates close, as they finished the first period down just two, 18-16.

They were able to claim a 31-30 lead in the second after successive jumpers by Alexis Lewis sunk through, but quickly relinquished it to a storming Xavier, and entered the halftime break down by one, 36-35.

The Musketeers were led by surprising first-half outputs from underclassmen guards in Morgan Sharps and Lauren Wasylon, who put up 11 and nine respectively. Their season-leading scorer A’riana Gray had eight through the first two periods.

The second half however, undertook an entirely different vibe from the Pirates. They came away with three consecutive takeaways on defense before Lauren Park Lane’s fast break layup regained them the lead early on in the third.

They wouldn’t look back from there. Shadeen Samuels hit three of her five free throw attempts at the charity stripe, and added another field goal along with four rebounds to pace her squad, while Desiree Elmore produced six inside baskets of her own and three boards to boot.

The Hall would put up 17 to Xavier’s nine, closing out the third with a 52-45 advantage. Their staunch defense continued to turn into offense well into the fourth, and their lead increased right along with it.

Jasmine Smith kept pace with her fiery night in the last period. She remained on the court through its entirety, going 3-4 from the field for six points, while Alexis Lewis kept the defense honest from deep range, burying the team’s only three of the quarter and adding an insurance basket to secure a victory, 69-59.

The team held Xavier to just 35% from the field in the quarter and just 28% for the half, giving up just one three through the game’s final 16 minutes. Lewis led the team in scoring with 21, and posted her second straight double-double, grabbing 10 boards as well. Smith poured in 10 on 5-7 from the floor in 33 big minutes, while Samuels and Elmore nearly reached double-double stat-lines.

The former would put up 11 points and seven rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth, while the latter had 12 and seven. The win makes the Hall’s faring in the Big East that much more interesting, as they’re currently in a four-way tie for fourth place at 10-7.

They’re just a game back from third-ranked Butler, who fell to St. John’s on the same night, and trail second place Marquette by two. The Pirates will round out their season with just the opponent they want to see: Butler and will have plenty outside of conference bidding to play for as they celebrate their annual senior night. The matchup is slated to tip off Sunday at 1 p.m. on WSOU.

Justin Morris can be reached at justin.morris@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, WSOU, Women's Basketball