Pirates Defense Locks Down, Beats Cincinnati 69-68

Published: Tuesday, November 19, 2024

by Anthony Collins

CINCINNATI, OHIO - In a battle between two undefeated teams, the Seton Hall women’s basketball team (4-0) walked into Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, and took down the Bearcats (3-1) 69-68. Handing Cincinnati their first loss of the year, the Pirates continue to cruise in their strong start to the season! 

This game was a back-and-forth battle from start to finish. Both teams were aggressive on both sides of the court. It looked like this was going to be a high scoring affair, but the Pirates defense came through in the last minutes of the fourth quarter. Players like Faith Masonius and Savannah Catalon set the tone on both ends to rally them towards the victorious finish.  

Masonius, who not only put up 21 points, was able to get four clutch steals in the end that lead to their comeback run. She has now scored 17+ points in all four games within the season far. Alongside her in star power was Catalon, who also had 20 points of her own, racked up three steals, while shooting a perfect 10-10 from the line.  

Anthony Bozzella made a huge switch on defense at the end of this game, putting pressure on the defense with a full court style of press. The Bearcats had no answer to the Pirates pressure as they were able to get steals on almost every possession. Seton Hall had more rebounds than Cincinnati (35-27), as well as forced more turnovers (23-20).

In the last four minutes of play, the Pirates went on a 12-0 run to overcome their nine-point deficit. Catalon’s execution under pressure was the difference maker in the end of this game, as she had the game-winning free throw with 19 seconds left on the clock.

The Pirates stayed true to their identity on defense late in this game, which was the deciding factor. With 17 steals as a team, there is much to credit to Coach Bozzella and his staff, with a change in play and pressure that completely switched the tides in this one.  

The Pirates will look to continue their undefeated start to the year with a home game at Walsh vs Princeton this Thursday. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m., with Lauren Reese and Victor Gonzalez on the call. 

Anthony Collins can be reached at anthony.collins@student.shu.edu. 

 

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