WSOU

Preview: Pirates Open Up BIG EAST Tournament in Showdown with Musketeers

Date: March 3, 2023

By: Will Swankie

The Pirates huddle up.

Kayla Fonseca/WSOU

The Seton Hall Pirates will be the No. 6 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament this weekend, with the first of three possible matchups coming against No. 11 Xavier.

The Pirates, who at one point had won 11 of 12 games, have sputtered as of late. Seton Hall will enter the tournament having not won since Feb. 18, with one loss coming without their star Lauren Park-Lane and another where she struggled mightily offensively.

“She was sick, she’s still not 100%,” said Coach Tony Bozzella following a 27-point loss to Villanova Monday night – the game where Park-Lane returned. “I give her credit for trying to play, but she wasn’t herself.”

The Pirates struggles have existed prior to Park-Lane’s brief absence. They possessed a 3-5 record in the month of February, only securing victories at home in Walsh Gymnasium.

“I think we have to look in the mirror and figure out why we’re not playing well together,” said Bozzella. “I don’t understand it. It’s not who we are.”

Seton Hall will have a strong opportunity to figure out their recent struggles. They will open the tournament with a matchup against Xavier, a team that has gone 0-20 against BIG EAST competition.  

The Pirates found success in the two matchups against the Musketeers this season, winning each game by an average of 16 points. Both games saw the Pirates flex their muscles defensively, holding Xavier to an average of 57 points with no Musketeer scoring more than 13 in either matchup.

On the Seton Hall side, their offense was bolstered by two strong performances from Park-Lane. She is averaging 22.0 points and 8.0 assists this season against the Musketeers, and despite Xavier’s recent struggles, Bozzella believes the Pirates will need another big effort if they plan to advance the quarterfinals.

“Everyone looks at their record and thinks they’re not good,” Bozzella said of Xavier. “They haven’t given up, and they’re playing really well together.”

The Musketeers are led by senior forward Nila Blackford who averages close to a double-double with 11.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Seton Hall will also have to contend with freshman guard Fernanda Ovalle, Xavier’s second highest scorer at 8.5 points-per-game.

Should the Pirates advance, they will take on the tournament’s No. 3 seed in Creighton, a team they have yet to beat in 2023.

Coverage of the entire tournament will be available on 89.5 FM WSOU and across all of its online platforms. Michael Federico and Spencer Gonzales will have the call on Friday afternoon at 4 PM from the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Will Swankie is an Assistant Sports Director at WSOU and can be reached at william.swankie@student.shu.edu.

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

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