WSOU

Preview: Seton Hall Travels to Butler for Big East Clash

Date: February 6, 2022

By: Cameron Kharazmi

Seton Hall's Mya Jackson attempts a three pointer during a game.

Kayla Fonseca/WSOU Sports

The Seton Hall women’s basketball team (10-10, 5-7 conference) look to continue their outstanding play and record a season-high third win in a row as they face off against the Butler Bulldogs (1-17, 0-9 conference) at the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Pirates are in the midst of an offensive groove, having scored over 90 points in their last two games, shooting over 50.0% from the field in both contests, which is largely in part because of their stellar guard play.

Andra Espinoza-Hunter has led the Pirates in points in its last two games, with 25 and 20 points in consecutive performances. Other major offensive contributions came from point guard Lauren-Park Lane, who had 20 and 16, respectively.

Also coming in handy were Mya Jackson and Curtessia Dean, who both scored in double figures in the Pirates latest win against Xavier. While they were outshot in the three main categories against Xavier, timely baskets and clutch defensive stops allowed the Pirates to gut out a win in a tough contest against a gritty Xavier team.

Butler was expected to be a team at the bottom of the Big East totem pole going into the season, having been ranked last in the conference to start the season, and currently rank in that position currently with a 1-17 record, including going 0-9 in conference play.

Weather related issues and COVID problems within the program have not allowed Butler to play since Jan. 30, and the time off has likely offered the program some rest and rejuvenation after dropping its last seven games. That being said, expect a Pirates team that nailed a Big East record 19 three-pointers in its contest against Georgetown to have a field day with the Butler defense.

The Bulldogs have a scoring margin of negative 21.5, surrendering 80.1 points-per-game to their opponents whilst only scoring 59.1. The Pirates are noticeably stronger in three-point percentage (34.0% to 26.9%), while also committing substantially less turnovers-per-game (13.8 to Butler’s 20.8).

Like the Pirates last two victories, expect this game to be dictated largely by Seton Hall’s backcourt. Last year, Espinoza-Hunter led the Pirates in scoring in two separate victories against the Bulldogs, with the Pirates having hit 15 three-pointers in their Jan. 17, 2021, contest against Butler.

The Pirates should overwhelm Butler with their three-point prowess and should get to the rim with relative ease against a weak Butler defense. Furthermore, expect the Pirates to score a large amount of points off of turnovers, as their 7.7 steals-per-game average should pair well against Butler’s turnover-ridden offense.

It would not be out of the question for the Pirates to set new offensive records in this game given the matchup and their offensive groove as of late, and Pirates fans should hopefully expect for the squad to bring home its third straight victory and move up in the Big East standings.

The Pirates currently sit at sixth in the conference standings and expect to move up with a victory and gain some ground on the teams above them.

89.5 FM WSOU will broadcast the game, with tip-off taking place at 2 p.m. Michael Stamm and Liam Plate will have the call!

Cameron Kharazmi can be reached at cameron.kharazmi@student.shu.edu.

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

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