Seton Hall
Pirates Win Second Straight in 62-57 Triumph over St. John's
Date: January 21, 2018
(Photo: SHU Athletics)
By: Matt Ambrose
The Seton Hall Pirates notched their second consecutive win, something they haven't done since late November, in a 62-57 win over St. John's on Sunday afternoon.
The win was highlighted by Inja Butina, who had a game high 15 points, all of which came in the second half.
"Coach told me to keep attacking more and look to the rim," Butina said. "When I did that, a lot of points came along the way."
The Pirates had a strong effort in the first quarter, shooting 50 percent as a team en route to a 15-9 lead after the first 10 minutes.
Things slowed down a bit in the second quarter, a period in which the Pirates could only muster nine points and shot just 23 percent. Seton Hall would take a 24-21 lead into the locker room.
The bright spot in the first half for the Pirates was JaQuan Jackson, who poured in 12 points in the game's first 20 minutes. Jackson would only score two more points the rest of the game, but contributed in a strong way on the board, grabbing eight rebounds on the day.
"As a captain, she wanted to win the game," Head Coach Tony Bozzella said about Jackson's second half effort. "In the first half, she was feeling it, she was in a good groove, second half she got a little tired and they defended her a little tougher."
The third quarter is when St. John's made their push, and it appeared at times that the game was getting away from the Pirates. They outscored the Pirates 20-17 in the quarter, and took their largest lead of five points with 3:34 remaining in the quarter.
Seton Hall showed resilience in the final 10 minutes, however, beginning with a strong stretch to end the third. The Pirates scored the final five points of the quarter, highlighted by a three by Butina right before the buzzer to tie the score at 41 entering the fourth.
The fourth quarter is when the Pirates began to flex their muscles, as they shot 58 percent in what was their best quarter of the day. The outscored the Red Storm 21-16, and Kaela Hilaire nailed some key free throws down the stretch as the Pirates improved to 4-5 in BIG EAST play.
After the game, Bozzella revealed that leading scorer Donnaizha Fountain will not be with the program moving forward. Fountain, a grad transfer from Temple in her first season with The Hall, averaged 15.5 PPG in 19 games this season.
"It's unfortunate," Coach Bozzella said. "We sat down this week, Donnaizha and I, it just wasn't the right fit anymore. I wish her well, she is a great kid."
The Pirates hit the road next for a two game stretch beginning this Friday in Providence as the Pirates will take on the Friars. Tip-off is set for 11:30 a.m. Catch the action on 89.5 FM WSOU.
Matt Ambrose is an Assistant Sports Director at 89.5 FM WSOU. He can be found on Twitter @mambrose97 and can be reached by e-mail at matthew.ambrose1@student.shu.edu.
