WSOU

Preview: Pirates Travel to Indy in Crucial BIG EAST Showdown with Butler

Date: February 24, 2023

By: Justin Lotito

Shay Hagans against Villanova.

Kayla Fonseca/WSOU

This season has been filled with ups and downs for the Seton Hall Pirates women’s basketball team (17-11, 10-8 CONF). After starting Big East play on a hot streak, defeating ranked opponents like Marquette and St. Johns, they were on top of the world.

A bid for March Madness seemed almost guaranteed. However, they went cold, dropping the next four contests, putting their postseason dreams at peril.

Their slump can be wiped away if they take care of business against their next two opponents, Butler, and a nationally acclaimed Villanova.

While the Butler Bulldogs (10-17, 5-13 CONF) have not had a superb season, the contest is essentially an elimination game.

Butler’s record may not indicate it, but the Bulldogs have excellent players, one of whom, is freshman guard Jessica Carrothers. Carrothers has shown flashes of potential during her freshman campaign. Her best performance came against Illinois, scoring 18 points.

Another threat the Pirates must watch out for is forward Sydney Jaynes. Jaynes has had an excellent season thus far. She also had her best game of the season against Illinois, scoring 26 points and snagging 10 rebounds in 34 minutes played. Jaynes will be a force in the paint against The Hall.

To combat Butler’s playmakers, the Pirates will turn to their own. Lauren Park-Lane is continuing to have a phenomenal season. In a loss against DePaul, Lane scored a season-high 39 points. On the year she is averaging a solid 18.3 points.

Another key player will be Sidney Cooks. Cooks is having a phenomenal season, averaging 16 points a game. She is also second in points scored on the season. If both Park-Lane and Cooks have big performances, it will be a tall task for Butler to pull off the upset.

On paper, the Pirates should not have any trouble with the Bulldogs. The Hall averages 72 points a game, compared to Butler’s 65.

Seton Hall stands at a solid sixth place in the BIG EAST standings. However, if they win out, and the teams in front of them lose out, the Pirates can finish as high as fourth place. A fourth-place finish would be paramount to their tournament chances, as they are currently not even listed as a first four out team.

With the possibility of a March Madness tournament bid looming in the future, The Hall must not get ahead of themselves, and take care of business against Butler.

Tipoff is at 7 p.m. on WSOU.net and the iHeart Radio app, where Michael Federico and Chris Kiely will have the call.

Justin Lotito can be reached at justin.lotito@student.shu.edu.

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

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