Seton Hall University
Butler
Hall's Comeback at Butler Falls Short
3/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 1, 2014
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. - Despite seeing four players score in double figures the Seton Hall University women's basketball team lost at Butler University, 74-72, on Saturday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Trailing for the entire first half Seton Hall sprinted out of the gate in the second half, taking its first lead of the game, 40-39, on an Alexis Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.) jumper at 15:54. That was the first of three-straight SHU buckets for Brown, who scored all 10 of her points in the second period to help the Pirates build a 52-46 advantage with 11 minutes to play.
Sparked by a Mandy McDivitt 3-pointer, Butler responded with nine unanswered, taking a 55-52 lead on a Liz Stratman layup at 8:30.Redshirt junior Ka-Deidre Simmons (Newark, N.J.) knocked down a long jumper to make it a one point game at the five minute mark, but that would be as close as the Pirates would get down the stretch.
Butler utilized an 8-0 run over the next 3:06 to build a nine-point lead with fewer than two minutes to play. The Bulldogs shot just 7-for-14 from the free-throw line down the stretch, allowing the Pirates to attempt a late comeback. Simmons buried at triple with 24 seconds remaining to pull SHU back within four but the Bulldogs converted just enough free throws to hang on for the two-point win.
Simmons was one off her career high, scoring 24 points on 8-for-18 shooting with a team-high five assists. Ali recorded her seventh double-double of the season, netting 15 points to go along with a team-high 13 boards, and sophomore Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas) scored 14 points on just nine shots, shooting 3-for-6 from 3-point range.
Seton Hall uncharacteristically turned the ball over 20 times, leading to 15 Butler points; the Pirates entered the game averaging just 12.1 turnovers per game in BIG EAST play and the 20 giveaways were the most for SHU since committing 22 against NJIT back on Dec. 21.
With the loss the Pirates fell to 16-12 overall and 7-10 in the BIG EAST, clinching the No. 7 seed for the 2014 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament. Seton Hall will open postseason play against the No. 10 seed next Saturday, March 8, at the McGrath-Phillips Arena on the campus of DePaul University.
Seton Hall spent the first half combatting big Butler spurts, and the Pirates were never able to come all the way back and take a lead. After trailing by as many as 11 points midway through the period Seton Hall managed to cut the Butler deficit down to two, only to see the Bulldogs extend the lead all the way to 12 late in half.
The Bulldogs hit seven of their first eight attempts from the field, with Daress McClung scoring eight early points to help Butler jump out to an 11-2 lead fewer than four minutes into the action. That cushion would hit 11 as Stratman scored on consecutive possessions, but from that point Butler went ice cold as Seton Hall climbed back into the game.
Following the hot shooting start Butler would go more than 10 minutes between field goals, missing nine straight shots and turning the ball over eight times, including a pair of shot clock violations.
Richardson-Smith and freshman Teresa Kucera (Schwabisch Hall, Germany) both connected from deep to help the Pirates' offense get on track and after the early double-digit deficit Seton Hall trailed just 22-20 when senior Janee Johnson (Matthews, N.C.) found Ali for a 10-foot baseline jumper at 5:23.
With Stratman leading the way Butler responded in a big way, answering Seton Hall's run with 12-2 burst of its own. Sratman scored 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting in the first half, and contributed four buckets as the Bulldogs built a 12-point lead.
Seton Hall clawed back into the game, cutting the margin down to five before the intermission by scoring seven-straight points in 90 seconds, trailing just 34-29 as Richardson-Smith completed a 3-point play on the Hall's last possession of the period.
Stratman finished with a career-high 28 points on 12-for-16 shooting, also corralling a team-high 12 rebounds. McClung chipped in 14 points and Haley Howard also finished with 14 for the Bulldogs.
Seton Hall will wrap up the regular season and celebrate Senior Day when it welcomes Xavier University to Walsh Gymnasium on Tuesday, March 4. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
