Seton Hall University
Villanova
RV/#25 Hall Holds Off Villanova 59-56
1/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
VILLANOVA, PA. - Graduate guard Daisha Simmons (Jersey City, N.J.) scored 12 of her game-high 19 points in the second half as the RV/#25 Seton Hall University women's basketball team maintained sole possession of first place in the BIG EAST standings with a 59-56 victory at Villanova University on Friday night.
Simmons, who also pulled down 11 rebounds to record her second double-double of the season, led three Pirates in double figures. Ka-Deidre Simmons (Newark, N.J.) tallied 15 points and Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas) scored 11 to round out SHU's double-digit scorers. Janee Johnson (Matthews, N.C.) tied her career-high of 12 rebounds to lead a 51-33 effort on the glass for The Hall.
Seton Hall (18-2, 7-1) led by five at the half, but found itself in a tie ballgame with 13:50 to play when Lauren Burford connected from downtown to knot the score at 38-38. The Pirates opened the second half shooting just 4-of-16, but it was Daisha Simmons keeping them in the game, scoring six of their first eight points of the period.
Villanova (11-9, 5-3) would never take a lead in the second half, and Seton Hall answered that Burford triple by rattling off nine unanswered as the Wildcats came up empty on eight-straight offensive possessions and went more than five minutes without scoring.
Johnson capped off that SHU run with a turnaround 10-foot jumper in the paint at 8:51, and the Pirate lead would reach double figures as Daisha Simmons scored off the glass at 7:24 to make it 51-41.
Villanova stayed in the game as Seton Hall started to turn the ball over, giving it away on three-straight possessions. The Wildcats, who entered the game leading the nation with a mere 9.2 turnovers per contest, committed just three turnovers of their own, not only the lowest total for an SHU opponent this year but they were the first team with single-digit turnovers against the Pirates this season.
Seton Hall ranked 11th in the nation averaging 11.9 steals per game, but finished with just three on Friday night, and the four points off turnovers was the second-fewest this season, and a significant departure from the 19.1 points off turnovers per game the Pirates are accustomed to.
Villanova capitalized on its extra possessions, pulling within three on a Taylor Holeman backdoor cut at 2:39, but neither team would score the rest of the way and Caroline Coyer's last-second 3-point heave found back iron and SHU held on for the win.
The first 10 minutes of the game belonged to Seton Hall. Villanova was ice cold from the field to start the game, hitting just four of its first 18 attempts, but the Wildcats, who trailed by as many as 13 points in the opening period, turned it on down the stretch to pull within three, and trail just 31-26 at the break.
Richardson-Smith capped off a 7-0 Seton Hall run with a triple at 12:26 to make it a 10-point game, 16-6, as the Wildcats went more than 4:30 without a point.
The Pirates continued to find success in the paint as the lead reached 13. Lubirdia Gordon (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) scored down low on consecutive possessions and Jordan Mosley (Orlando, Fla.) came away with a steal and coasted through the paint on the break to make it 24-11 with nine minutes remaining.
Senior Emily Leer brought Villanova back into the game. A couple of three-pointers cut the SHU advantage to 24-17, and her third make from downtown at 5:44 pulled the Wildcats within two possessions for the first time since the 14:30 mark.
Seton Hall connected on just two of its last 11 field goal attempts in the first half, but Daisha Simmons was able to get a runner off the glass to drop with 60 seconds to play to end a 3:11 scoreless drought for The Hall and create a five-point cushion.
Leer led Villanova with 15 points, drilling four shots from long-distance. The Wildcats fired 42 shots from downtown, but hit just 11 to shoot 26.2 percent from 3-point range.
Seton Hall returns to action on Sunday afternoon, when it heads down to the nation's capital to face the Georgetown University Hoyas. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
