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Preview: Pirates Host Villanova in Sunday Home Matchup

Date: February 13, 2022

By: Ryan Henry

Seton Hall's Andra Espinoza-Hunter looks to score using a Sidney Cooks' screen during a home game vs. Georgetown.

Kayla Fonseca/WSOU Sports

After a season full of ups and downs, it finally appears as though the Seton Hall women’s basketball team is finally finding their groove, winning their season-high fourth straight game this Wednesday night against the Georgetown Hoyas in Washington D.C.

It was a defensive affair as both teams shot below 40% from the field and combined for 35 turnovers.

None was exceptional for the Pirates offensively, but the big three of Andra Espinoza-Hunter, Lauren Park-Lane and Sidney Cooks did just enough to squeak by the Hoyas, 60-50.

After beating up on teams with weaker records in the Big East, the Pirates (12-10, 7-7 conference) face their first real challenge during this winning streak in the Villanova Wildcats (17-6, 11-3 conference).

Villanova is the hottest team in the Big East right now. They are currently on a nine-game winning streak after surviving an overtime thriller against the Marquette Golden Eagles Friday night, winning 74-63 in overtime. During this stretch, the Wildcats also went into Storrs, Conn. to knock off the No. 8 UConn Huskies, becoming the first team to beat the Huskies in a conference game since 2013.

The Wildcats have been led all season by junior forward Maddy Siegrist, who has put the conference on notice with her most recent performances. In Friday night’s contest against the Golden Eagles, she dropped a career-high 42 points while also snagging 13 rebounds. She’s dropped 30-plus points in four of her five last contests with three straight double-doubles.

Siegrist in her last outing against the Pirates helped the Wildcats overcome an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter. She had 23 points in the afternoon with eight coming in that final frame. The Pirates will have their hands full guarding potentially the Big East Player of the Year.

The Robin to Siegrist’s Batman this year has been Lior Garzon. She, along with Siegrist, have formed potentially the best frontcourt in the entire conference this year. In the past four contests, Garzon is averaging 20.5 points-per-game on 51% shooting. She had a team-high 19 points in that upset win over UConn.

In the New Year’s Eve matchup, Garzon had a modest 14 points on 46% shooting, but really struggled to shoot from behind the arc. Garzon didn’t play in Villanova’s last contest against Marquette, so her status for Sunday’s matchup is still up in the air.

If Garzon can’t play, Villanova has a very solid replacement in Brianna Herlihy. Herlihy is averaging a near double-double at 10.9 points-per-game and 8.5 rebounds-per-game, while also leading the team in assists. After a shaky four-game stretch, Herlihy has bounced back to form these last two contests, dropping 15 and 14 points.

This frontcourt tandem is going to cause troubles for Seton Hall, a team that has struggled inside all season. A lot is going to fall on Sidney Cooks and Mya Bembry to stop one of the best rebounding teams in the Big East.

The Pirates were dominating a majority of their last matchup against Villanova before they let a very winnable game slip away. That is not a mistake you can afford to make this team, especially as the Pirates are trying to make an end of season run before the Big East tournament during the beginning of March.

The game can be heard live on 89.5 FM WSOU at 1 p.m. with Will Swankie and Heaven Hill on the call.

Ryan Henry can be reached at ryan.henry@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Game Previews, Sports, Women's Basketball

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