Recap: Pirates Lose Last Game of the Season to Wildcats, 83-56

Date: February 28, 2023

By: Justin Nicosia

Kayla Fonseca/WSOU

Seton Hall dropped to 17-13 on the season and 10-10 in the BIG EAST after an 83-56 home loss to No. 11 Villanova (26-5, 17-3 CONF) in the regular season finale.

Seton Hall scored the first two baskets of the game, but never led after that. Villanova responded with a 12-0 run of their own and didn’t look back. The Pirates trailed 19-12 at the end of the first quarter, despite forcing four Villanova turnovers.

Azana Baines with the jumper and the Pirates are on the scoreboard!#HALLin pic.twitter.com/asprZzD7ye

— Seton Hall Women’s Basketball (@SHUWBB) February 28, 2023

“We did not come out with the same intensity that I thought we would have,” said Pirates head coach Tony Bozzella. “We played very tentative and that was a shame.”

While the Pirates were successful at limiting the nation’s leading scorer to just eight points in the first half, Maddy Siegrest scored 16 of her 32 points in the third quarter. The Pirates had 16 points as a team in that period.

“I think they have the best player in the country [Siegrist],” said Bozzella. “She plays really hard and fearlessly, and they follow that lead.”

Two other Wildcats, Maddie Burke and Christina Dalce, also finished in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Dalce also added 11 rebounds to complete her fourth double-double of the season.

The only Pirate in double figures was senior forward Azana Baines, whose 22 points marked her fourth consecutive game with at least 19 points.

“I think she’s improved a lot,” said Bozzella. “She still has a ways to go. I’m proud of how far she’s come…she’s going to be a big part of our program next year. Clearly, we have a lot of rebuilding to do.”

It was a tough game for senior guard Lauren Park-Lane, who was limited to just 30 minutes after recovering from a non-COVID illness over the weekend. She finished with just five points and five assists on 2-of-12 shooting. She also turned the ball over four times.

Pretty look by LP to Azana Baines here...#HALLin pic.twitter.com/pa4pQ3jeri

— Seton Hall Women’s Basketball (@SHUWBB) February 28, 2023

The Pirates now look ahead to the BIG EAST Tournament, which begins on Friday in Montville, Conn. They will be the No. 6 seed in the tournament, and will face Xavier, who went winless in BIG EAST play, in the first round.

If Seton Hall beats Xavier on Friday, they will play Creighton on Saturday.

Three of the team’s starters – Park-Lane, Sidney Cooks, and Mya Bembry – were on last year’s team that made the WNIT Final. That experience could be critical for the team’s success heading into the postseason.

“We haven’t changed players, we haven’t changed plays,” said Bozzella regarding that experience. “But we have to do a better job at coaching them, they also have to do a better job at this point. They’ve been running the same plays for two, three, four wins.”

Be sure to stay tuned to WSOU for coverage of the entire tournament, available online at wsou.net, on our socials @WSOUSports, and on the airwaves of 89.5 FM WSOU.

WSOU’s coverage of Friday’s game will begin at 3:30 p.m. with John Makuch and Ryan Johnston in the studio before Spencer Gonzales and Michael Federico describe all the action when tipoff begins at 4:00 p.m.

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

Posted in: Sports, Women's Basketball