Pirates play well without Samuels in 55-39 win over Saint Joseph's

Date: November 17, 2019

By: Madi Travisano

One of the main storylines for this team going into this matchup against Saint Joseph’s was whether or not Shadeen Samuels would be playing in this game. In Friday night’s game against Princeton, Samuels went out just minutes in with a hamstring injury.

 

Before the game, coach Tony Bozzella said that they were going to keep her out to be safe and they don’t expect her to be out for too long. So, the question was who is going to step up for the Pirates? Saint Joseph’s started on in the first with a lead 4-2, but that would be the last time they would have the lead. A slow start for both teams as turnovers and missed shots plagued them, yet a layup by senior Alexis Lewis ended the scoring drought.

 

With the three-point basket from Barbara Johnson extended the Pirates lead 9-6, after that the Hawks and the Pirates traded points to end the first 15-10. In the second quarter, the Pirates exploded offensively as Freshmen Lauren Park-Lane really stepped up for the Hall in the second quarter as she had 10 points leading the pirates while also being four for five from the field in the first half. On both sides of the ball in the second, freshmen were setting the pace for the offense. So, going into halftime the Pirates were leading 37-22. 

 

Going to into this matchup, the player to stop was sophomore Katie Jekot as she was the leading scorer last year for this team. The Pirates were able to hold her to only 4 points in the first half and limit freshmen standout Claire Melia to six. The Pirates were able to hold the Hawks to a 37% shooting percentage and just 22 points for in the first half. The Pirates were also able to force 13 turnovers, getting 12 points off of those turnovers as well.  

 

Turnovers and missed shots plagued both teams to start the third but a layup from Elmore ended that quickly. Elmore once again continued to show her dominance in the paint as the extended the Pirates lead 41-23. The Hawks responded with a 4-point run, but the veterans once again took control for the Hall.

 

Baskets from Johnson, Lewis, and Elmore pushed the lead to 45-27 to force a timeout from Saint Joseph’s. Similar to the first, turnovers and missed shots were the norm as the scored stayed 45-31 for a little over three minutes. With a basket to end the quarter from the Hawks, the score was 45-33. 

Another Elmore layup got the Hall started early in the fourth quarter. But once again neither team was able to score for an extended amount of time until a Lewis three-point basket to make the score 50-35. This game has been showing how both teams were playing a very big defensive game. With two minutes left to play, the Hawks were able to get a few more points making it 55-39.

 

 But it wasn’t enough as the Pirates were able to win 55-39, making their record 4-1. Elmore really stepped up for the Pirates this game and showed her versatility on both sides of the ball, especially with Samuels out for this game. 

 

The Pirates will stay on the road as they take on Lehigh on Friday November 22 with a tipoff time of 6 p.m. Rich Behan and Heaven Hill will be on the call so make sure to tune in to 89.5 WSOU FM.  

 

Madi Travisano can be reached at madisyn.travisano@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, WSOU, Women's Basketball