Credit: GR Productions
Pirates Set Sights on Another Strong BIG EAST Opponent in UConn
Published: Saturday, January 18, 2025
by Nicholas DiBlasi
STORRS, CONN. – The Seton Hall women’s basketball team has been on a mission this season. In his 12th season at the helm, Coach Bozzella must be proud of his Pirates' accomplishments in the early stages of BIG EAST play.
A miracle shot at Villanova and a hard-fought overtime battle in South Orange against Georgetown propelled the Hall to start conference play 4-0 for the first time in program history. Further propelling their monumental start, they most recently left Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee with a 58-52 win over a BIG EAST powerhouse, the Marquette Golden Eagles. This victory marked their first win in program history at Marquette, extending their road record to 4-0 on the season.
Although this has been an extremely resilient Pirates team, they are faced with another tough task. They travel up to Storrs, Connecticut, to take on UConn, the number six team in the country. With a 16-2 overall record and an astounding 7-0 mark to start conference play, this 2024-25 Huskies team looks as dangerous as ever.
A year prior, UConn went 33-6 in the regular season and a perfect 18-0 in the BIG EAST, additionally winning both regular season and tournament titles. The Huskies are led by two-time BIG EAST Player of the Year Paige Bueckers, who is currently averaging 19.4 PPG off an impressive 56% from the field. Along with key returning players such as Bueckers, the Huskies feature other stellar assets, like freshman Sarah Strong and graduate Kaitlyn Chen.
Strong, labeled as the number one ranked recruit from the 2024 class, possesses a winning pedigree; she most recently led the United States U18 3x3 team to gold at the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup 2024. As for Chen, the 2023 Ivy League Player of the Year from Princeton University, she will look to finish her collegiate career with one of the best in the BIG EAST.
The 2024-25 season for Seton Hall has also seen the rise of key newcomers such as Faith Masonius and Jada Eads. The freshman phenom and graduate transfer from Maryland have truly taken over for this organization. Masonius currently leads the Pirates with 17.4 PPG in 564 total minutes of action, and Eads has continued to progress in her skills in just her first year of college play.
Most recently at Marquette, Eads erupted for a game-high 20 points, along with five boards and three steals. Ever since entering Coach Bozzella’s starting unit, Eads has completely taken off and shown flashes of greatness.
As for the history between Seton Hall and UConn, the Huskies currently lead 59-10 all-time, with their last matchup played on February 7th, 2024, at XL Center. They have also defeated the Pirates 39 consecutive matchups, the Hall’s last win coming in the 1994 season at Walsh Gymnasium.
In what looks to be another BIG EAST slugfest, be sure to tune into 89.5 FM at 1 p.m. to hear Lauren Reese and Victor Gonzalez call the exciting action live. Additionally, tune in for the pre- and post-game shows, where AJ Rayer and CJ Weipz will bring you WSOU’s exclusive “Hall Line”, where you can call in to voice your opinions on the game.
Nicholas DiBlasi can be reached at nicholas.diblasi@student.shu.edu.Posted in: sports,