Recap: Seton Hall Falls to USC in 2021 Cancun Challenge Opener, 79-65

Date: November 25, 2021

By: Jorie Mickens

Seton Hall Athletics

The Seton Hall’s women’s basketball team dropped their first game of the 2021 Cancun Challenge, losing 79-65 in a Thanksgiving matchup against the University of Southern California.

Sidney Cooks started the contest strong for the Pirates, as she scored the first five points for the team. A layup from Lauren Park-Lane then gave Seton Hall an early 7-6 lead with 7:11 remaining in the first quarter.

The largest lead for either squad during the first 10 minutes of action was four points, as Park-Lane converted another nifty layup with 1:15 remaining, making the score 22-18. Neither team recorded a field goal during the final minute of the first quarter, and the Pirates were leading 22-20 heading into the second.

1Q | Pirates 22, USC 20

Sidney Cooks has 10 points and three rebounds so far to lead all scorers.#HALLin ‍☠️ pic.twitter.com/6NaOKdQaq4

— Seton Hall Women’s Basketball (@SHUWBB) November 25, 2021

A three-pointer from Cooks with 8:12 remaining in the second period gave the Pirates their largest lead of the game (29-24). But then the game’s next basket was not scored until the 6:16 mark, when USC’s Angel Jackson converted a mid-range jumper.

A Mya Jackson three-pointer with 4:24 remaining in the half once again gave the Pirates a five-point lead (33-28), but the Trojans finished the second quarter on a 9-3 run, subsequently taking a 37-36 lead heading into the halftime break.

Seton Hall shot a tick better than USC in the first half, 42.9% to 42.1%, but the Pirates were 7-for-14 from three-point range, compared to just 1-for-8 for USC.

Pirates committed eight first-half turnovers, compared to just five for the Trojans.#HALLin ‍☠️ pic.twitter.com/QJRH3qUZdx

— Seton Hall Women’s Basketball (@SHUWBB) November 25, 2021

The Trojans opened up the game to start the second half, as the Pirates’ first field goal did not come until the 7:23 mark in the third period when Park-Lane drilled a floating layup. Seton Hall did not score again until the 4:51 mark of the third quarter when Cooks made a mid-range jumper, but by that point, USC was leading 54-40.

USC’s Jackson made a layup with 3:05 remaining in the period, pushing their lead to 19 (59-40), the largest of the quarter. But Seton Hall closed the third on a 9-2 run and entered the final period with a manageable 12-point deficit.

However, the Pirates did not capitalize on the momentum they built near the end of the third quarter, as the Trojans’ Alissa Pili buried two threes in the fourth quarter en route to a 21-point advantage for USC. Only free throws would fall for Seton Hall for much of the final period, and in the end, the Pirates lost 79-65 and dropped to 0-3 all-time against the Trojans.

Only five players scored for Seton Hall in this game, as the team recorded just one bench point. Cooks led the way with 21 points and five rebounds while Park-Lane totaled 17 points and seven assists in the loss.

FINAL | USC 79, Pirates 65

Cooks finished with a game-high 21 points. Park-Lane had 17 points, seven assists and five steals. Jackson had 16 points on the strength of four made three-pointers.

The Hall will be back at it tomorrow when it faces Toledo in Cancun.#HALLin pic.twitter.com/f2aFfHhA9K

— Seton Hall Women’s Basketball (@SHUWBB) November 25, 2021

Jordyn Jenkins, who totaled 18 points and 12 rebounds in the contest, was the leading scorer and rebounder for the USC. Pili, who returned to action after being sidelined with an injury the past three games, recorded 15 points and six rebounds in her return for the Trojans.

The Pirates, who are now 2-2 on the season, will look to right the ship Friday as they take on the Toledo Rockets at 4 p.m.

Jorie Mickens is an Assistant Sports Director for WSOU Sports and can be reached at jorie.mickens@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, Women's Basketball, WSOU