Pirates Hit the Sunshine State for WPB Invitational

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's been a while.

For the first time in 12 days, the Seton Hall women's basketball team (7-2) will return to the hardwood this week for a pair of games at the West Palm Beach Invitational. In two venues across West Palm Beach in the span of 36 hours the Pirates will close their non-conference slate with a pair of tough tests. First up is a 12:15 p.m. showdown against ACC foe Georgia Tech on Thursday at Palm Beach Atlantic University, followed by a 7 p.m. Friday night battle with UNC Greensboro at Keiser University.

The Hall's last action came on Dec. 8 at No. 1 UConn, falling to the Huskies despite a team-high 23 points from Nicole Jimenez (Miami, Fla.). Georgia Tech was last in action with a win over Kennesaw State on Sunday, while UNCG is coming off a victory over Liberty also on Sunday.

The trip to Florida in non-conference will be a first for the Pirates since playing at Florida Gulf Coast in 2010. Overall, The Hall is 3-5 in non-conference games played in the state. The Pirates have played in the Sunshine State an addition 15 times against former conference foes Miami (1992-2004) and USF (2006-13), going 2-13 in those contests. The Florida trip is a homecoming for senior Nicole Jimenez (Miami) as well as freshmen Femi Funeus (Plantation) and Whitney Howell (Lake Worth)

All-Time vs. Georgia Tech: 3-0, Georgia Tech
All-Time vs. UNCG: First Meeting

SETON HALL TIP-INS

The Pirates are off to a 7-2 start and close the non-conference slate at the West Palm Beach Invitational
The regular season neutral site tournament is a first for The Hall since sweeping the Cancun Challenge in 2015
Seton Hall is top-15 nationally in scoring, assists, 3-pointers made, steals, turnover margin and turnovers forced
Nicole Jimenez is averaging 28.0 points per game over her last two outings
Shadeen Samuels leads The Hall and ranks top-five in the BIG EAST in points (15.9), rebounds (9.7) and field goal percentage (56.5)
The Pirates are 5-0 in their previous five meetings with ACC opponents since 2015-16

A YELL ABOUT THE YELLOW JACKETS

Georgia Tech enters Thursday's contest with an 8-2 record
Francesca Pan paces the Yellow Jackets with 15.0 points per game, while reigning ACC Rookie of the Week adds 12.2 points per contest
As a team, GT holds a +4.9 rebounding margin and a +5.5 turnover margin

SPARTAN STATS

UNCG holds a 5-6 record on the year and will take on Eastern Michigan Thursday before facing The Hall
In its last contest, the Spartans hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to grab a 48-45 victory over Liberty
Nadine Soliman leads UNCG with 20.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while Te'ja Twitty adds 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game
The Spartans are a perfect 5-0 at home this season but have struggled on the road, losing all six away from Greensboro

WHAT'S AHEAD
The Hall returns to action after Christmas when it opens BIG EAST play on Sunday, Dec. 30 against rival St. John's at Walsh Gym.