Pirates vs Tigers in Thursday Night Rivalry Matchup

Published: Wednesday, November 20, 2024

by Nick DiBlasi

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ – The Seton Hall women’s basketball team (4-0) has swung right out of the gates this season. With an undefeated 4-0 record, this squad looks primed to make some noise in the BIG EAST. After an impressive 69-68 victory over Cincinnati this past Monday night, there will be lots of energy in Walsh Gymnasium Thursday night, as they aim to take down one of the Ivy League’s best, the Princeton Tigers (2-2).

Their last game in Ohio saw the Pirates overcoming a 10-point deficit in the last four minutes of action, handing the Bearcats their first loss early in the season. This Pirates team will look to carry the momentum over to a Tigers team that had an impressive 2023-24 campaign.  

Stars like Kaitlyn Chen and Ellie Mitchell, who earned All-Ivy League honors last year, have both transferred and graduated. This has set the stage for a new look Tigers team, headlined by Madison St. Rose, who was a second-team All-Ivy selection in 2023, and Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2022. Although Princeton started the season off 2-2, already they have knocked down BIG EAST squads like DePaul and Villanova.

Looking at the Pirates, an all-around effort has propelled them to an undefeated start. Graduate students Faith Masonius and Yaya Lops dominated their first four matchups. Masonius, the forward transfer from Maryland, has led the charge in scoring with 20.8 PPG. Sophomore guard Savannah Catalon, part of the 2023-24 All-BIG EAST Freshman team, had a bounce-back performance against the Tigers, with an impressive 20 points, as well as 100% from the free throw line, in the victory.

Although the Pirates have many offensive playmakers, their defense has been phenomenal to start the 2024-25 campaign. Their aggressiveness and physicality have set the tone from a defensive standpoint. They will need to continue their dominance on this side of the ball against a Princeton team coming to Walsh with three players averaging double digits in scoring.  

Historically, Seton Hall leads Princeton 13-9, but the Tigers won the last matchup by a score of 75-71 in a double overtime on November 29, 2023. Thursday’s upcoming contest will be the 23d meeting between the two non-conference rivals. Despite the Hall’s broader success versus the Tigers, they have dropped five of the last seven of the all-time series, most recently last year’s in Jadwin Gym in Princeton.

Masonius, Lops, Catalon, and others will look to extend the Pirates record to 5-0 on Thursday night in Walsh Gymnasium. They will certainly have their hands full against a Princeton team that has once again been picked to finish atop the Ivy League. Tipoff will be at 7:00 p.m. Be sure to tune in to 89.5 FM WSOU to catch all the action, with WSOU’s very own Lauren Reese and Victor Gonzalez on the call.  

Nick DiBlasi is an Assistant Social Media Manager at WSOU and can be reached at nicholas.diblasi@student.shu.edu. 

 

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