Seton Hall
Seton Hall Falls on Road to St. John's
Date: February 17, 2018
(Photo: SHU Athletics)
By: Wilnir Louis
The Seton Hall women's basketball team (7-9 Conference, 15-12 Overall) could not win their rematch against the St. John's Red Storm (9-7 Conference, 16-11 Overall) as St. John's defense was too much for the Pirate offense to handle in a 75-56 defeat.
The Pirates and the Red Storm were matching baskets early only in the first quarter. With 5:43 left in the first quarter, the game was tied 7-7. After that, St. John's took the lead after two free throws and never looked back. A couple of baskets for the Red Storm extended the lead to eight with a 20-12 score at the end of the quarter.
It was more the same in the second quarter as St. John's continued to make shots and play tremendous defense. They led by as much as 21 during the second quarter. Two quick buckets by Kimi Evans cut the lead to 17 at the end of the first half and a 40-23 score in favor of St. John's.
At the half, Nicole Jimenez led all Pirates scorers with nine points on 3-for-4 shooting and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. Inja Butina and Evans were the next leading scorers with six points apiece. Alisha Kebbe led the way for St. John's with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
In the third quarter, Seton Hall and St. John's traded baskets for the majority of the quarter. The Red Storm increased their lead even more towards the end of the third quarter. St. John's ended the third with two quick scores and gave them a 61-35 advantage at the end of the quarter.
Nothing changed in the fourth quarter as the Red Storm led by as much as 29 points in the quarter. In the last five minutes of the game, Seton Hall went on an 18-9 run but it was too late for any heroics.
Leading the way for the Pirates in scoring was Nicole Jimenez, who ended game with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 4-for-7 from the three-point line. Kimi Evans also had a stellar performance, with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Inja Butina rounds out the double digit scorers for the Pirates with 10 points.
The Pirates return home to Historic Walsh Gymnasium, where they will face the Marquette Golden Eagles (12-3 Conf. 18-8 Overall) on February 23 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcasted live on 89.5FM WSOU and on iHeartRadio.
Wilnir Louis can be reached at wilnir.louis@student.shu.edu.
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