Pirates Host Fairfield For Kids Day On Thursday

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall women's basketball team (7-3) closes out non-conference play on Thursday when it welcomes Fairfield (3-7) to historic Walsh Gymnasium. The contest will serve as The Hall's annual "Kids Day," with a special 11 a.m. tip and nearly 1,000 students from local schools expected to be on hand. The contest will air on the Pirate Sports Network with John Fanta and David Gass on the call. "Kids Day" is presented by American Dairy.

The Pirates are coming off a hard-fought setback to No. 11 UCLA on Sunday afternoon, taking the highest-ranked opponent of the Anthony Bozzella era to the brink in an eventual 77-68 setback. Fairfield visits after a 10-day lay-off, most recently falling at Rhode Island on Dec. 11.

SETON HALL TIP-INS >>

Nicole Jimenez (Miami, Fla.) was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after breaking out for 20 points against UCLA - Jimenez entered the contest with 24 points in her first nine contests as a Pirate
Donnaizha Fountain (Roxbury, Mass.) also had a big day against the Bruins with 23 points and eight rebounds, through 10 games Fountain leads The Hall with 14.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game
The Hall ranks eighth in the nation with 13.3 steals per game
The Pirates boast a balanced attack that has them sitting third in the BIG EAST in scoring offense and fourth in scoring defense - Seton Hall is the only team in the conference to rank in the top half of both categories

SCOUTING THE STAGS >>

Fairfield visits Walsh Gym with a 3-7 record overall and a 1-4 mark in road contests
The Stags have played a pair of common opponents to The Hall, defeating Boston College and falling to Villanova
Samantha Cooper leads Fairfield with 14.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game
Sam Kramer (11.6 ppg) and Khadidiatou Diouf (11.0) also score in double-figures for the Stags

FACING FAIRFIELD >>

The Pirates host Fairfield for the first meeting between the two sides since 2014 and the 15th meeting all-time in a series dating back to 1978
The Hall is 11-3 all-time against the Stags, including a 79-47 rout in the most recent meeting during the 2014-15 season
In that contest on Dec. 18, 2014, Tabatha Richardson-Smith led four Pirates in double-figures with a game-high 19 points
Fairfield is the fourth team from the MAAC to visit Walsh Gym this season - Bozzella is extremely familiar with the league after 11 seasons at Iona
The Pirates have never lost to a MAAC foe (10-0) under Bozzella and are 89-12 against the league's current membership all-time

UCLA RECAP >>

Facing their highest-ranked foe during the Bozzella era, The Hall pushed No. 11 UCLA to the brink in an eventual 77-68 setback on Dec. 17 at Walsh Gym
The Pirates trailed by seven after a quarter, but played the Bruins dead even (38-38) over the second and third frames to keep the contest tight
In the final frame, the Pirates got as close as five with four minutes to play but couldn't get the contest to one possesion late
Nicole Jimenez had a breakout performance for The Hall, scoring 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting after entering the game with 24 points in nine games
Also starring for the Pirates was Donnaizha Fountain, who finished with 23 points and eight rebounds
The Hall managed 12 steals against a potent Bruin offense and out-scored UCLA in points off turnovers (18-15) and second chance points (13-11)

WHAT'S AHEAD >>
Following Thursday's contest, The Hall has a week off before kicking off BIG EAST play with a trip to league favorites DePaul and Marquette on Dec. 28 and 30.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nicole Jimenez

Scoreboard

Seton Hall University Athletics