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Recap: Pirates take down Nova in a close one, 67-55

Date: February 28, 2021

By: Jonathan Heite

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Seton Hall Athletics

In tonight’s highly anticipated rematch with Villanova (14-5 overall, 9-5 conference) at the Finneran Pavilion, the Seton Hall Pirates (13-6 overall, 11-5 conference) picked up a statement victory, winning 67-55. Despite the Wildcats’ senior night and superstar sophomore Maddy Ziegrist reaching the 1,000-point plateau less than two seasons into her collegiate career, the Pirates had a solid collective effort from their “big three” of Desiree Elmore, Lauren Park-Lane, and Andra Espinoza-Hunter to get the win.

 

In one of her best games this season, Elmore notched another double-double, finishing with 21 points (six of 10 from the field) and 16 rebounds, while also stepping up defensively by forcing key turnovers. After a slow first half, Park-Lane came alive in the second and finished with 20 points and five assists, and Espinoza-Hunter contributed 16 points (three of six from three) and seven rebounds. Outside of the dynamic trio, Mya Jackson added four to give the team an extra boost to put away one of the best squads in the Big East.

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Seton Hall Athletics

Ziegrist, who came into this contest averaging 23.1 points-per-game and four 30-point performances on the season, still carried Villanova in the scoring department, finishing with a 27-point and 10 rebound double-double. Outside of the prolific scorer, the Pirates did an excellent job defensively, only allowing four other Wildcats to put up any points. Senior Sarah Mortensen was next in scoring with 11 points and nine boards, sophomore Brooke Mullin and freshman Lior Garzon had six, and senior Brianna Herlihy was held to only five.

 

After the first two quarters, the Pirates held on to a 29-28 lead, with much of the opening action competitive from tip-off. Espinoza-Hunter led the way with 13 points, Park-Lane had six on only two of 11 shooting, and Elmore had five points but played excellent defense which included both blocks and taking important charging fouls. Siegrist also had 12 points early on that kept the Wildcats afloat for most of this stretch of play.

Villanova struggled in the turnover battle, suffering from 12 by the end of the first half and finished with 16 by the final buzzer. This was a crucial part of Seton Hall success’ tonight, as Tony Bozzella’s team did an excellent job clogging the passing lanes and also collected 42 rebounds to the Wildcats’ 38 by game’s end.

 

However, the second half belonged to the Pirates, specifically Elmore and Park-Lane, with each tallying 11 and eight respectively in the third quarter to jump out to a crucial 54-42 lead. This impressive stretch also included a 9-0 run, with Espinoza-Hunter draining a three at the buzzer which proved to be x-factors. Although Siegrist would put up 15 additional points in the latter stages of the game, the “big three” was too much for the Wildcats to handle.

This was one of the most important wins of the season for Seton Hall, as this victory will show the NCAA selection committee, they can avenge early season woes against top tier teams in the conference.

 

On the other side, this is a gut-wrenching loss for Villanova, with this game concluding their regular season schedule. The Pirates’ regular season finale will take place this upcoming Monday at 7:00 p.m. against St. John’s at Carnesecca Arena. 89.5 FM WSOU will have all the coverage you need, with pregame starting at 6:30 p.m. and the fantastic duo of Danny LeMoine and Dalton Allison on the call from South Orange. Make sure to tune in!

Jonathan Heite can be reached at jonathan.heite@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, Women's Basketball

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