Seton Hall
Butina Shines, Bozzella Gets Win No. 400 in Pirates' to 70-65 Win over Georgetown
Date: January 14, 2018
(Photo: SHU Athletics)
By: Dalton Allison
(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ)- Inja Butina had a career day for the Seton Hall Pirates as they defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 70-65 at home in Walsh Gymnasium.
Butina dropped 17 points, eight assists, and three rebounds on the Hoyas, and was a force to be reckoned with throughout the contest.
"I was more aggressive today," Butina said. "I took it upon myself, and I saw that I had some more opportunities to score."
This game was an outburst from the Croatia native, who was held scoreless in Friday night's loss to Villanova.
Out of the gate, the Pirates opened up an early 6-0 lead, backed by strong defense and fast break opportunities.
Strong defense was a paramount for the Pirates today, and it was evident with their nine steals and five blocks in the game. Kimi Evans, who had two of those blocks, blocked a shot that lead to a layup by Donnaizha Fountain.
The Hoyas began to make the game competitive in the latter half of the first quarter however, and the Pirates ended the quarter with a 16-3 lead.
Mikayla Venson began to dictate the game in the second quarter, and she was the prominent offensive threat from the Hoyas today. She finished with 28 points, and was the reason that the Hoyas were able to hang with the Pirates today.
Going into the half, the Pirates held a 34-27 lead. Much like the first half, the Pirates opened up the third quarter with an aggressive tempo, all on the back of Butina.
"Inja came in confident and tough...that gave us the confidence to be able to beat such a great team like Georgetown," Head Coach Tony Bozzella said about his point guard after the game.
The Pirates began to slip in the third quarter however, and Georgetown eventually cut down the lead to 38-31.
After a timeout by Bozella, the Pirates began to hit threes, and it appeared that they were in the driver's seat for a victory. Seton Hall went into the fourth quarter with a 48-38 lead.
The Hoyas did not give into the Pirates however, and fouls began to plague Seton Hall. Georgetown began to chip away at the lead, and a foul on Venson by Shadeen Samuels with 1:10 remaining in the game was crucial in the comeback effort by Georgetown. Venson was fouled behind the arc, and as a result hit all three shots to draw the game to 65-63.
Grit was what brought home the victory for the Pirates today. With 44 seconds left, Evans grabbed an offensive rebound through two Georgetown defenders, and was fouled afterwards. Her two made free throws helped to push the lead to 67-63, and the Pirates never looked back. They would close out the game on top, 70-65.
Today's victory marked career win 400 for Bozella, who was elated to reach the milestone.
"I am blessed," Coach Bozzella said. "I have a great staff and I've coached some great players."
JaQuan Jackson was limited to just 18 minutes today, as she has been battling knee issues the past few weeks. Taylor Brown, who injured her knee in practice against Villanova, is day-to-day according to Bozella.
Sunday's victory over Georgetown improves the Pirates record to 11-8 overall, and 3-5 in Big East play. The next game for the Pirates will be at home on January 21, as they will take on St. John's at 1 pm in Walsh Gym. Catch all the action on 89.5 FM WSOU.
Dalton Allison can be reached at dalton.allison@student.shu.edu.
