Shorthanded Pirates Fall to Talented Villanova Team

Published: Friday, February 27, 2026

by Sean Casey

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- The Seton Hall Pirates (18-10, 12-7) fell to the Villanova Wildcats (23-6, 16-4) 82-52 on Thursday night in a game that was never competitive, mostly due to Seton Hall's extensive injury report.

The story going into the game was Seton Hall’s lack of available players, and especially guards. On top of missing Jada Eads, Ja’kahla Craft and Shailyn Pinkney, it was announced before the game that freshman point guard Ari Woodard would also miss the contest with a head injury.

In her place, Natalie Hall-Rosa made her first collegiate start as the last remaining healthy natural point guard.

Right away, the Pirates struggled on both ends of the floor. Both Zahara Bishop and Hall-Rosa struggled with turnovers and missed assignments on the defensive side.

The first quarter of the game saw some back-and-forth scoring from both teams. Seton Hall managed a 12-9 lead about midway through before Villanova began to pull away in the remaining minutes. Catalon kept the Pirates close in the first quarter, scoring an early five points to keep the Pirates within ten.

The second quarter saw Villanova take control in every aspect of the game. Jasmine Bascoe, the Wildcats’ star and go-to option, continued her dominant season, firing shots from all over the court and getting buckets in transition. With 22 first half points, Bascoe matched Seton Hall's entire first half total.

The Seton Hall offense struggled all night, failing to create half court offense, which carried over to the second half. Bishop and Hall-Rosa already combined for eight turnovers by that point. 

Seton Hall’s offense peaked in the third quarter, getting a handful of points off turnovers from Bishop and Catalon. However, the Wildcats started pouring in threes, firing over 50 percent for the quarter from beyond the arc, leading 64-40.

The one brighter spot for the Pirates was Bishop's continued ability to score the basketball, continuing to be one of the best freshman scorers in the BIG EAST. Bishop, who finished with 19 on the night, scored most of her points at the rim, continuing to carry the scoring load with Catalon as injuries continue to haunt the Pirates.

Postgame, Coach Bozella spoke on the injuries and rough game, stating “it's tough, it's not the same team that went 18-9, 12-6,” alluding to the team's trouble keeping players healthy.

Despite the loss, the Pirates have also secured a top-five seed and a first-round bye, most likely as high as the three seed. UConn and Villanova will finish as the top two BIG EAST seeds. 

Up next for the Hall is a trip to Butler on Sunday before the BIG EAST Tournament in Connecticut. Christian Oliveri and Nick DiBlasi will call the game in Indiana at 3:30, with coverage beginning at 3:00 on 89.5 FM WSOU.

Sean Casey can be reached at sean.casey@student.shu.edu

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