WSOU

Preview: Pirates Face Bluejays in BIG EAST Quarterfinal Rematch

Date: March 4, 2023

By: Spencer Gonzales

Lauren Park-Lane against Creighton.

Kayla Fonseca/WSOU

After defeating the Xavier Musketeers in the first round of the 2023 BIG EAST Tournament, the No. 6-seeded Seton Hall Pirates (18-13, 10-10 CONF) will advance to the quarterfinals to take on the No. 3-seeded Creighton Bluejays (21-7, 15-5 CONF).

The Pirates faced off against the Bluejays in last year’s BIG EAST quarterfinal, where The Hall squeaked out a 66-65 victory thanks to a go-ahead jumper from Mya Bembry in the game’s final seconds.

The story of this year’s matchup, however, is completely different. Last year, both squads were evenly matched, with every meeting being a slugfest that went down to the wire. This year, Creighton has had Seton Hall’s number in both of their regular season games, winning by a double-digit margin each time.

Though the Pirates’ boast the third-best offense in the conference, it’s on defense where they stumble against a Bluejay attack that ranks just behind them in fifth. The Hall currently stands second-to-last in scoring defense, allowing 69.1 points per game, compared to a Creighton defense that only lets up 60.7.

If the Pirates want to damper an electric Bluejay offense, they are going to need to get some key defensive stops, and that all starts with defending the three. Seton Hall Ranks 346th in the nation at defending the arch, which is a recipe for disaster against Creighton, who ranks first in the BIG EAST with 9.4 three-pointers a game.

Along with stopping the Bluejays’ potent offense, the Pirates will have to create some of their own scoring opportunities. Lauren Park-Lane looked to be her normal self on Friday vs Xavier, going 8 for 11 from the field for 26 points, all while sitting out for a majority of the third quarter due to foul trouble.

In her absence, it was the bench that kept things chugging along, with paramount performances from Victoria Keenan and Jala Jordan, who combined for 30 points.

Keenan had the best outing of her college career, hitting six threes in 24 minutes of play. Jordan, who had been quiet the second half of the regular season, hit two threes of her own for 12 points and three rebounds.

The elevated play of the Seton Hall bench could be a huge factor in beating Creighton, as it will spread the Bluejay defense thin and allow the Pirates’ main scorers to go to work.

A main scorer that will need to show up for The Hall on Saturday is Sidney Cooks, who had an uncharacteristic 3-of-10 shooting night for only seven points against the Musketeers. Cooks’ challenging night was due to an excellent defensive gameplan from Xavier to keep her at bay, but she will need to elevate her game to help the Pirates advance to the semifinals.

With Park-Lane’s ability to score at will, Cooks’ physical paint presence, and the bench providing much-needed assistance from deep, The Hall could have a chance to knock off one of the best teams in the BIG EAST on Saturday.

Pregame coverage for Seton Hall vs Creighton will start at 9 p.m. before tipoff at 9:30, where Michael Federico and Will Swankie will have the call on WSOU 89.5 FM.

Spencer Gonzales is the Sports Web Editor and an Assistant Sports Director at WSOU and can be reached at spencer.gonzales@student.shu.edu.

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

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