Pirates Fall to LSU to Close Out Non-Con

Published: Tuesday, December 17, 2024

by Michael Federico

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The Seton Hall Pirates (8-3) fell to the No. 5 LSU Tigers (13-0), 91-64, in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena on Tuesday night. 

The Pirates started strong and took an early lead as graduate student Faith Masonius opened the game with a mid-range jumper. The first 10 minutes saw strong performances from freshman Jada Eads and Masonius, with the Pirates trailing by seven but out-rebounding the Tigers.

The second quarter started rough for the Pirates as LSU opened with a 14-2 run in the first five minutes to extend its lead to 20 points. The Hall couldn’t recover after that. The Tigers outscored the Pirates 30-10 in the quarter and entered halftime with a 27-point lead, shooting an impressive 57.1% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range.

The Tigers fell three points short of their season average of 93.7 points per game but shot 53.7% from the field and 45% from 3-point range. Meanwhile, the Pirates struggled from long range, only hitting 24% for the game, with just two shots made in the first half.

A familiar name for Pirates fans is DePaul transfer Aneesah Morrow, who dominated the boards with 19 of LSU's 38 rebounds. Morrow also led the Tigers with 24 points, including a pair of baskets from beyond the arc.

Masonius finished the game with 29 points, marking her 10th game of the season with double-digit scoring, including five games with more than 20 points. She also set a new career high, surpassing her previous mark of 25 points, scored against USC in November.

Another standout performance for the Pirates came from Eads, who scored 20 points in her fourth career start, marking her fourth consecutive game in double figures and fifth overall this season. Like Masonius, Eads set a new career high in the matchup, surpassing her previous mark of 19 points set in the last game against Le Moyne.

The Pirates closed out a tough nonconference slate with eight wins and three losses, including two to top-10 opponents. The Pirates' next game is against the Providence Friars to open BIG EAST play at historic Walsh Gymnasium. The Pirates' quest to return to Mohegan Sun Arena as a top seed begins then. 

Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, with Brian Henderson and Chris Jones on the call. Pregame coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m. on WSOU.

Michael Federico is the Technical Operations Director at WSOU 89.5 FM and can be reached at michael.federico@student.shu.edu. 

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