Lewis Erupts, But Pirates Edged by Princeton, 78-76

Friday, November 15

South Orange, N.J.

7:30 PM

Seton Hall University

3-1,0-0Big East

Princeton

3-0,0-0Ivy League

Princeton

Seton Hall

Lewis Erupts, But Pirates Edged by Princeton, 78-76

11/15/2019 11:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Senior Alexis Lewis (Pittston, Pa.) led a trio of Pirates to score at least 20 points, but the Seton Hall women's basketball team was edged by Princeton, 78-76, at historic Walsh Gymnasium on Friday.

Lewis erupted for a career-high 27 points on an efficient 9-for-12 from the field. She also had seven rebounds and a team-best five steals in a strong all-around game.

Senior Barbara Johnson (Toronto, Ontario) added a career-high 21 points to go with four steals and three rebounds, while Desiree Elmore (Hartford, Conn.) tallied 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

The Story:
Seton Hall had another strong first quarter, shooting 64.3% from the field as it built an early lead. Johnson took over early for The Hall, scoring 14 straight points for the Pirates between the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second. Her jumper with 55 seconds left in the first gave Seton Hall its largest lead of the game, 24-14.

A layup by Lewis gave The Hall a 36-28 lead with 5:35 left in the first half, but from there, Princeton slowly began to chip away at the Pirate lead. However, the Pirates still took a 40-37 lead into halftime.

A pair of made free-throws by Lewis put the Pirates on top, 60-55, with only 1:33 left in the third quarter, but Princeton ended the frame with a flourish. An 8-0 Tiger run closed out the quarter and three free-throws by Carlie Littlefield with four seconds left gave Princeton the lead back, 63-60. Seton Hall never led again.

Johnson connected on one of two free-throws only 13 seconds into the fourth quarter to cut The Hall's deficit to two points, but Princeton went on an 11-2 run over the next 3:48 to take a commanding 74-63 advantage.

Down 77-67 with 4:52 left in the game, the never-say-die Pirates scored nine unanswered points and Lewis' dramatic four-point play cut the Tigers' lead to one, 77-76. Seton Hall had two possessions in the final half minute, but couldn't find the go-ahead bucket.

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 29-for-57 (50.9%) from the floor for the game, while Princeton was 29-for-62 (46.8%). The Hall was 5-for-15 (33.3%) from three-point range, while the Tigers were 7-for-21.
Lewis scored a career-high 27 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the field, including 2-for-4 from three-point range. She was also 7-for-8 from the free-throw line, pulled down seven rebounds and collected a game-high five steals.
The rebounding battle was close with the Pirates edging the Tigers, 33-to-32, although Princeton had eight second-chance points, compared to just two for The Hall.
Johnson finished with a career-high 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting, including 2-for-4 from three-point range. She also had four assists, four steals and three rebounds.
The teams were identical from the free-throw line, both shooting 13-for-17 for 76.5%.
Elmore tallied 20 points on 9-for-16 shooting, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out four assists.
The turnover battle was close, with Princeton forcing two more, 18-to-16.
For a second straight game, junior Selena Philoxy (Queens, N.Y.) pulled down a team-best 11 rebounds.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall falls to 3-1 on the young season, while Princeton improves to 3-0.
The Pirates are now 12-7 all-time against the Tigers.
Seton Hall drops to 45-5 against non-conference teams in Walsh Gym during the Anthony Bozzella era.
Seton Hall shot a season-high .509 from the field, but also allowed the highest opponent field goal percentage of the season to an opponent, .468.
Seton Hall had three players score at least 20 points in a game for the first time since March 6, 2016 against Marquette.
This was Elmore's second 20-point game in only four games so far this season. She now has five for her career.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Sunday, Nov. 17 when it makes the short trip to the Bronx for a neutral site game against Saint Joseph's at Rose Hill Gym on Fordham University's campus. Game time is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.