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Preview: Pirates face test at home against Marquette

Date: January 14, 2021

By: Ryan Henry

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Seton Hall Athletics

The Seton Hall Pirates have a key Big East matchup against the Marquette Golden Eagles this Friday. The Pirates are coming off a bounce back win at Butler, 79-64, on Monday to improve to 4-3 on the season with a record of 2-2 in conference play.

 

For the Golden Eagles, this will be their first game in nearly a month as they have not played a game since Dec. 22 due to a player testing positive for COVID-19. Before their stoppage, Marquette was riding a five-game win streaking, including a 3-0 start in conference play.

 

The Pirates are led by sophomore guard Lauren Park-Lane who is leading the team in scoring at 20 points-per-game and in assists-per-game at 5.5. Park-Lane has scored in double figures every game this season, including a three-game stretch of 20-plus points. She is coming off an 18-point, 7-assist outing in the Pirates win against Butler.

Complementing Park-Lane is sophomore guard Mya Jackson. Jackson has increased her scoring output from last season, going from 10 points-per-game to 15 points-per-game, shooting 47 percent from the field and an impressive 51% from behind the arc on five-plus attempts-per-game.

 

To round out the starting guard trio is graduate transfer from Mississippi State, Andra Espinoza-Hunter. In her three games since being granted eligibility, Espinoza-Hunter has averaged 14.7 points-per-game, including a team-high 23 points in their win over Butler. She has also been tasked in guarding the opponent’s best perimeter player since joining the Pirates.

Starting forward Desiree Elmore did not play for unknown reasons in Monday’s win, but her team-high 8.4 rebounds-per-game has been huge for a Pirate’s team that lacks size in their starting five. If she does not play, Penn State University transfer Mya Bembry will probably get the starting nod again.

 

Leading the Golden Eagles is senior guard Selena Lott. Lott was selected to the Preseason All-Big East Team and she has certainly lived up to the hype. Lott is averaging a career high 17.1 points-per-game and leads the Golden Eagles in assists-per-game at 4.1. She is also the best shooter for Marquette as she is shooting 52% from the field and 50% from behind the arc. Lott is the only Big East player that is in the 50/50/90 club this season.

Redshirt senior forward Lauren Van Kleunen is adding to her solid 2019-20 campaign, averaging 13.6 points-per-game and 4.9 rebounds-per-game. Big East Freshman Team selection Camryn Taylor has also improved in her sophomore season, averaging 10.3 points-per-game and a team high 7.1 rebounds-per-game.

 

The biggest question going into this game for the Pirates is how their lack of size will fare against Marquette. Marquette is the second-best rebounding team in the Big East, averaging 41 rebounds-per-game with a rebound margin of 10. Everyone in their starting five is 5-foot-11-inches or taller and grabs at least four rebounds-per-game.

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Marquette Athletics

Since Megan Duffy became the head coach for Marquette, the Golden Eagles have outrebounded their opponents in 36 of their last 39 games played. The Pirates need to hope that Elmore plays this game because the Pirates are going to need her rebounding. If she misses Friday’s game against Marquette too, the Pirates’ lack of size might be too much to overcome.

 

89.5 FM WSOU will have all the coverage you need of this game as the flagship station of Seton Hall women’s basketball. Pre-game coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m. with tip-off being at 1:00 p.m. where Jorie Mickens and Christian Gardner will have the call from the historic Walsh Gymnasium.

Ryan Henry can be reached at ryan.henry@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, Game Previews, Women's Basketball

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