Seton Hall Hosts Quinnipiac in the First Round of the WBIT

Published: Thursday, March 20, 2025

by Brian Henderson

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall Pirates (22-9) kick off their fourth consecutive postseason appearance against the Quinnipiac Bobcats (28-4) at Walsh Gymnasium on Thursday night. 

The Pirates are a little less than two weeks removed from their semifinal exit in the BIG EAST Tournament at the hands of the Creighton Bluejays. Seton Hall finds themselves back in the WBIT, looking to avenge their first-round loss to St. Joe’s last year. 

The Hall didn’t have the BIG EAST Tournament they were looking for, as they played the 11-seeded Xavier Musketeers very close in the quarterfinals before Creighton delivered the knockout punch in the semis. Star freshman Jada Eads made her return to the court, but the Pirates still scored less than 50 points in both games, something they had only done twice all season. 

Though Seton Hall is a 3-seed in the tournament, the Bobcats are not to be taken lightly. From Jan. 30 until Mar. 15, Quinnipiac lost just two games, both to Fairfield, the eventual MAAC Champions. This season, they played five games against teams currently in the NCAA Tournament (Fairfield three times, Princeton, and Harvard), going 3-2 in those games, with wins over Princeton and Harvard. 

Far and away the best player for the Bobcats is the superstar freshman Gal Raviv from Israel. She leads the team in points (18.3), rebounds (5.5), and assists (4.3) per game and has scored 30+ points twice this season. Raviv isn’t alone though, as Quinnipiac has three other players who averaged around 10 points per game. Anna Foley (10.9), Jackie Grisdale (10.7), and Karson Martin (9.9) round out a starting five that was one of the most talented in the MAAC. 

Of course, the Hall has plenty of firepower of their own, with the big three of Faith Masonius, Savannah Catalon, and Jada Eads combining for just about 43 points a night. Along with Yaya Lops, the Pirates also anchor one of the conference’s top defenses, forcing an absurd 20.3 turnovers a game. 

Quinnipiac isn’t too far behind the Pirates defense. The second-ranked MAAC defense forces 16 turnovers a game and averages 16.4 points off of those turnovers. These are two teams that like to make life hard for opposing ball handlers. They force turnovers, move quickly in transition, and capitalize on their opponents’ mistakes. 

The big difference is offensive efficiency. Seton Hall is currently shooting less than 40% from the field and less than 30% from three. Quinnipiac, on the other hand, shoots 44% from the field and 35% from downtown on 6.5 threes per game. 

While the shooting splits from the last three games are far from pretty, this is still an incredibly talented Seton Hall squad that can compete with any team the WBIT throws them. 

Joseph Morales and Michael Federico will be on the call, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m., hosted by C.J. Weipz, Lauren Reese, and Bobby Steiner. 

Brian Henderson is an Assistant News Director at WSOU and can be reached at brian.henderson1@shu.edu.  

 

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