Pirates vs Pilots in Walsh Gym Matinee

Published: Sunday, March 23, 2025

by Michael Bellifemini

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall Pirates (23-9, 13-5) will host the Portland Pilots (30-4, 17-3) at 4 p.m. on Sunday in historic Walsh Gymnasium in their second-round WBIT matchup.  

Seton Hall is coming off their first-round win at Walsh on Thursday night, when they defeated the Quinnipiac Bobcats 57-40 and three Pirates finished in double figures. Savannah Catalon led the way with 18 points while Faith Masonius put up 12 points, in a playoff defensive bout where both teams combined for only five free throws.

Jada Eads picked up her first career double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as well. But she and team as a whole struggled from behind the arc, with Eads finishing 0-6 from deep while the team collectively shot 3-21.

The Pirates outrebounded the Bobcats 46 to 33, forcing 13 turnovers while simultaneously limiting their opponent to 40 points on 29.8% shooting from the field; this was clearly Quinnipiac’s worst offensive performance of the season.  

As for the Pilots, they are coming off their upset win on the road in Northern California against the Stanford Cardinal, outlasting them in overtime 69-68. Portland trailed by 11 points at halftime but stormed back in the second half thanks to their stellar defense on Stanford, holding them to only 20 points in the final 20 minutes of regulation on 6-27 shooting from the field.

In overtime, the Cardinal led by three points with 1:40 to play but Portland fought back to tie the game, and held the ball for the final possession of the extra frame. Stanford guard Elena Bosgana committed a foul with one second left on Portland guard Emme Shearer, who missed her first free throw before sinking her second one to give the Pilots a thrilling one-point road win at Maples Pavilion.  

Shearer is second on the team in points per game (16.7) just behind team leader Maisie Burnham (16.9). Alexis Mark is the third scorer who has averaged double figures this season (11.9) and also the team’s leading rebounder with 7.3 boards per game. The Pilots average 36 rebounds per game as a team compared to Seton Hall’s 33.3 mark.  

The winner of this contest will head to the WBIT quarterfinals to take on the winner of the Villanova vs Saint Joseph’s game that will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. Coverage of this playoff matchup starts at 3:30 p.m. on 89.5 FM WSOU, the flagship station for Seton Hall Pirates women’s basketball, with Michael Federico and Joe Morales on the call.  

Michael Bellifemini is an Assistant Sports Director and can be reached at michael.bellifemini@student.shu.edu. 

 

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