Seton Hall University
Lafayette
Second Half Surge Leads WBB Past Lafayette
12/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall University women's basketball team extended its winning streak to seven in a row, matching the longest for the program since 2008, with an 80-63 victory over Lafayette on Sunday afternoon in Walsh Gym.
Seton Hall (8-1) trailed by as many as seven points in the first half, but the Pirates mounted a 9-2 run over the final three minutes of the period to draw even at 32-32, and then really picked up the intensity to start the second half, scoring the first 11 points to make it a 20-2 spurt to end the first half and start the second, putting the game out of reach in the process.
Twice SHU led by four points in a disjointed first half, but the Pirates found themselves down by three possessions after Lafayette (5-3) capped off an 11-4 run with a Linnel Macklin triple at 3:39.
Kathleen Egan (Aberdeen, N.J.) sparked The Hall's big run to end the half, grabbing a board off a missed Daisha Simmons (Jersey City, N.J.) triple and laying it up and in. Ka-Deidre Simmons (Newark, N.J.) scored the next five points, slicing through the lane for an easy layup on the fast break with 60 second to play to make it 30-29, and tying the game on the next possession by converting 1-of-2 at the line.
The Pirates shot just 1-for-10 from 3-point range in the first half, with Jordan Mosley (Orlando, Fla.) coming off the bench to convert from downtown. Seton Hall allowed Lafayette to grab 28 first-half rebounds, 14 coming on the offensive end, but all of those extra chances led to only four points, as the Leopards struggled from the field shooting 12-for-40 overall and just 8-for-28 (.286) from two-point range.
Lafayette turned the ball over on five of its first six possession of the second half, and Seton Hall made them pay, scoring 11 unanswered to extend the lead to double figures.
That 20-2 run, which began at the end of the first period, was capped off by a Daisha Simmons triple in the corner at 16:27, providing the Pirates with a 43-32 advantage. The Hall was 4-for-9 from downtown in the second half after recording just one try in the first period.
More than five minutes expired before Lafayette converted its first field goal of the second half, but the Seton Hall offense just kept rolling, with Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas) leading the way, scoring 14 of her 18 points over the final 20 minutes.
Richardson-Smith drove to the rack and hit a floater at 11:43 to put Seton Hall in front by 15, 55-40, and with just over five minutes remaining she was good from 3-point range for a second time, spotting up from the right wing to put Seton Hall ahead by 20 points, 70-50.
Bra'Shey Ali (Plainfield, N.J.) was a high-energy difference maker for Seton Hall, recording her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 boards. Daisha Simmons led all scorers with 19 points, and Richardson-Smith was right behind her scoring 18. Ka-Deidre Simmons rounded out the four Pirates in double figures with 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting, also racking up eight assists.
Seton Hall continues its six-game home stand and concludes a stretch of four games in seven days on Tuesday night, when the Pirates welcome Illinois to Walsh Gym. The game will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network and will be available on Fox Sports Go and the Fox Sports Go mobile app. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
