VILLANOVA, PA. – The Seton Hall women’s basketball team fell behind late in the first half and couldn’t recover in a 72-55 loss at Villanova on Friday.
The game was lost for the Pirates in the final five minutes of the first half. Villanova connected on five of seven three-pointer attempts in the final 4:14 of the first half and the Pirates trailed at the half for the first time this season. Nova’s Ryanne Allen was 5-for-6 from three-point range in the first half alone.
Adding to the Pirates’ woes, both Savannah Catalon (Mansfield, Texas) and Mariana Valenzuela (Mazatlan, Mexico) played a combined two minutes in the fourth quarter because of injuries.
Sophomore Jada Eads (Orlando, Fla.) led the Pirates with 12 points to go with four rebounds. Catalon had 11 points and six rebounds.
THE STORY:
Seton Hall got out to a quick start, and a three-pointer by Eads gave it a 9-3 lead, but Villanova closed the first with a 9-2 run to take a 12-11 lead into the second quarter. The Hall held the Wildcats to just 28 percent shooting, but committed six turnovers, including two at the top of the key that led to Villanova layups.
Freshman Natalia Hall-Rosa (Randolph, Mass.) hit a three-pointer to give The Hall a 14-12 lead, but the Wildcats answered with an 8-0 burst to grab a 20-14 advantage with 6:09 left before halftime. A put-back layup by Jordana Codio (Winter Garden, Fla.) cut the Pirates’ deficit to 20-18 with 5:05 before the break, but Villanova went 5-for-7 from three-point range in the final 4:14 of the half to grab a commanding 35-22 lead with 24 seconds left. Eads hit a three-pointer right before the buzzer to send The Hall into halftime down 10.
Villanova was 9-for-20 from three-point range in the first half, and the Pirates’ strengths didn’t manifest. The hall committed 10 turnovers and forced only five, resulting in just two points off turnovers.
The Wildcats opened the second half with a 9-2 run to take a commanding 44-27 lead with 7:23 left in the third quarter. The Pirates answered with a 7-0 burst, and a made free-throw by Codio cut their deficit to 44-34, but Villanova closed out the quarter with a 16-5 run to extend their lead to 60-39 entering the fourth quarter. In the fourth,
THE NUMBERS:
- Seton Hall was 22-for-58 (37.9%) from the floor for the game, while Villanova was 30-for-68 (44.1%). The Hall was 7-for-21 (33.3%) from three-point range, while the Wildcats were 12-for-34 (35.3%).
- Eads finished with a team-high 12 points to go with four rebounds and two steals.
- Villanova out-rebounded The Hall, 41-to-36, which included a 12-to-8 edge on the offensive glass.
- Catalon finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
- Seton Hall was 4-for-8 (50.0%) from the free-throw line, while Villanova was 0-for-2 (0.0%).
- Zahara Bishop (Minneapolis, Minn.) finished with nine points and two rebounds.
- Seton Hall forced 12 turnovers, while the Wildcats forced 15. Villanova had a 18-to-4 advantage in points-off-turnovers.
THE NOTES:
- Seton Hall drops to 7-4 overall and 1-1 in the BIG EAST while, Villanova improves to 9-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play.
- The Pirates fall to 26-52 all-time against Villanova and have dropped six of the last seven meetings.
- Villanova’s 12 made three-pointers and 34 attempts are season-highs for a Seton Hall opponent.
- With 11 points today, Catalon has surpassed the 700-points milestone for her career.
- This was the first game this season that Seton Hall didn’t have a lead at the half or force more turnovers than its opponent.
- Villanova’s seven personal fouls are a season-low for a Seton Hall opponent.
UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will be back in action on Monday, Dec. 22 when it travels to Omaha, Neb. to take on BIG EAST foe Creighton. Tip-time is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET.
