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Preview: Pirates Face Wildcats in Season Finale at Walsh

Date: February 27, 2023

By: Justin Nicosia

Shay Hagans splits two Nova defenders on her way to the hoop.

Kayla Fonseca/WSOU

The Seton Hall Pirates (17-12, 10-9 CONF) look to wrap up their regular season Monday evening when the Villanova Wildcats (25-5, 16-3 CONF) come into town. The Wildcats are currently ranked No. 15 in the AP Top 25 Rankings, but that ranking will almost certainly rise when the poll refreshes Monday morning.

Villanova leads the all-time series 48-25, which includes a 99-65 victory the last time these two teams played on Feb. 11. In that game, senior forward Maddy Siegrist, who leads the country with 28.9 points per game, set a BIG EAST single-game record with 50 points. Siegrist’s 2,682 career points is also an all-time BIG EAST record for both men and women.

 

What’s At Stake?

The Wildcats come in as winners of back-to-back games against DePaul and Providence.

Villanova has clinched the number two seed and a first-round bye in the BIG EAST Tournament, which is set to begin on Friday in Connecticut. They will play the winner of DePaul-Providence in the tournament’s quarterfinals.

Seton Hall has clinched the No. 6 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament and has a first-round date against Xavier on Friday. The Musketeers remain winless in BIG EAST play. If they win that game, they will face Creighton in the quarterfinals.

 

Players To Watch

The Pirates are coming off a 76-64 road loss at the hands of Butler, although it is important to note that they were without senior point guard Lauren Park-Lane (flu-like symptoms), and she is expected to play Monday.

Park-Lane is the team’s all-time assists leader. She is also 19 points away from tying Geraldine Saintilus for second place on the program’s all-time scoring list.

On the interior, the Pirates rely on senior center, Sidney Cooks. Cooks, who recently scored her 1,000th point as a Pirate, averages 16.4 points per game, and leads the team in rebounds (6.1), field goal percentage (51.7), and three-point percentage (43.1).

For Villanova, sophomore guard Lucy Olsen (12.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.3 APG) compliments Siegrist as a secondary scoring option. Sophomore center Christina Dalce (7.6 RPG, 2.2 BPG) joins Siegrist in the most formidable backcourt in the BIG EAST.

 

Keys to the Game

Seton Hall:

1. Force Turnovers

The Pirates force more turnovers per game (16.4) than any BIG EAST team not named Georgetown. They need to get as many free possessions as possible by turning Villanova over early and often.

2. Contain Maddy Siegrist

It seems obvious that a team would want to limit the scoring output of the nation’s leading scorer, but four of Villanova’s five losses have come when Siegrist has scored 25 points or less. The Pirates need to hold her to that mark in order to have success Monday.

3. Let Sidney Cook

The Pirates are 6-0 when Cooks scores at least 15 points and grabs eight boards. If they can get a vintage performance from her, they should be in luck.

Villanova:

1. Let the three-ball fly

Seton Hall ranks 347th in Division-I in three-point defense, with opponents shooting 36.5 percent from behind the arc. If they give Villanova open shots, the Wildcats should take them.

2. Crash the glass

The Pirates have struggled all season at rebounding the basketball; they ranked 248th nationally with a negative-2.0 rebounding margin per game. Siegrist (9.2 RPG) and Dalce need to crash the glass like they have all season.

3. Win the foul battle

Siegrist’s 208 free throw attempts on the year rank fourth in the nation. She’s also making 83.7 percent of them. If she gets to the foul line, it will likely put Cooks in foul trouble, leaving Seton Hall shorthanded.

As a team, Villanova shoots 76.4 percent from the free throw line, which is second in the BIG EAST and 39th in the country.

On the flipside, Seton Hall shoots 79.1% from the line – which leads the BIG EAST, and is seventh nationally. If the Pirates can get to the line (and get Siegrist in foul trouble while doing so), that may be the difference in the game.


With the Pirates on the outside of the NCAA Tournament looking in, they need to win this game, and win a couple more in the BIG EAST Tournament to have a chance at an at-large bid to March Madness.

Be sure to listen to WSOU 89.5 FM’s coverage Monday night to see if the Pirates do that. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with Will Swankie and John Makuch in the studio. Then, Chris Kiely and Joe Walls will have all the action with tipoff at 7:00 p.m.

Justin Nicosia can be reached at justin.nicosia@student.shu.edu.

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

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