Seton Hall University
Georgia
WBB Blitzes No. 14/16 Georgia, 70-51
12/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall women's basketball team had an opportunity to make a major statement to the rest of the nation, and the Pirates did not fail to deliver. The Hall's high-powered backcourt exploded in a 70-51 win over No. 14/16 Georgia on Sunday. It was the first win for SHU over a ranked team since the Pirates beat Marquette in 2007. The victory was also the first for the BIG EAST over a ranked opponent this season.
Head coach Tony Bozzella's team extended its winning streak to 11, which is the longest such streak for the program in 33 years, since the 1980-81 season. Off to a 12-1 start, Seton Hall has tied the best start to a season in program history, accomplished back in 1977-78.
The Pirates (12-1) are one win away from tying the most consecutive wins in program history, accomplished just twice. SHU has now won 14-straight inside of Walsh Gym, the longest home winning streak since a run or 20 in a row from 1993-95.
Junior guard Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas) scored 25 points to go along with six boards in the victory, while Ka-Deidre Simmons (Newark, N.J.) had 15 in the first half en route to a 17-point day.
Coming into the game, Georgia (12-1) ranked fourth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 47.9 ppg, and had now allowed an opponent to score more than 60. The Lady Bulldogs had not faced more than a nine-point deficit at any point during the year, and they lost Sunday afternoon by 19.
After trailing 33-25 at the half, Georgia opened up the second half with a 12-4 run that took up the first six minutes to reach a tie score with the Pirates at 37, as Tiaria Griffin scored five points. The Bulldogs reclaimed the lead after a bucket by Mackenzie Engram, who pushed the score to 41-39 in favor of UGA. It was the first lead for the Bulldogs since the 12:48 mark of the first half.
From there, the Pirates dominated. The Hall followed with its biggest run of the game, a 25-2 spurt spanning eight minutes, up until the 5:40 mark of the second half. The Pirates held a 64-43 advantage following the run, which featured three treys from Richardson-Smith.
What is even more remarkable is that Ka-Deidre Simmons did not score during the run, but junior forward Tiffany Jones (New York, N.Y.) gave the Pirates a big boost off the bench, ending up with 10 points and six rebounds on the day. Daisha Simmons (Jersey City, N.J.) chipped in six points during the decisive run.
After a lay-in by Georgia cut the Pirates' lead to 47-43, Richardson-Smith followed that up with two lay-ups in a row. Jones scored on the fast break after the Pirates came up with another stop, and a Richardson-Smith triple opened up the lead to 13 with just over seven minutes to play. The trey was the first of 11 points in a row for the sharp-shooting junior.
The two teams got a feel for each other in the early going, but the Pirates made their runs when the opportunities became available. Down 7-6, The Hall broke out on a 6-0 surge that was started by Ka-Deidre Simmons, who scored 15 of the team's 33 first half points. She hit a lay-in followed by two Daisha Simmons free throws and a bucket in the pain by junior forward Bra'Shey Ali (Plainfield, N.J.).
Georgia followed up Seton Hall's run with a 9-4 stretch of its own, as Erika Ford knocked down a game-tying triple to tie the score at 16 apiece with 5:59 to play in the first half. Richardson-Smith answered with a go-ahead trey. She scored eight straight points for the Pirates in what was the start of a 13-3 run that helped SHU build a 29-19 lead with 2:24 remaining in the first half.
Daisha Simmons finished with 10 points and a team-high six assists to make it four Seton Hall players in double figures. The Pirates won the battle of the boards, 42-41, with Ali leading the way with eight. SHU turned the ball over just 12 times, compared to 20 for Georgia, and won the points off turnover battle 19-6.
The Pirates will return to action when BIG EAST play resumes as they host Butler on Tuesday night inside Walsh Gymnasium at 7 p.m.
