Baines, Defense Not Enough as Pirates Fall, 50-45

Wednesday, January 3

South Orange, N.J.

7:00 PM

Seton Hall University

9-5,1-2Big East

Villanova

9-5,2-1Big East

Villanova

Seton Hall

1/3/2024 10:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score BOX SCORE (.pdf)

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Graduate student Azana Baines (Blackwood, N.J.) scored a game-high 21 points, but the Seton Hall women's basketball team couldn't find its offensive footing for a third straight game in a 50-45 loss to Villanova on Wednesday.

The Pirates shot under 30 percent from the floor for a second straight game and were just 2-for-12 from three-point range. Defensively, The Hall was brilliant again, holding a seventh consecutive opponent under 55 points.

The Hall trailed by 10 points with under 4:00 minutes left and managed to cut its deficit to just four points, but couldn't complete the comeback.

Baines scored a game-high 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds with three blocks.

Senior Amari Wright (Jacksonville, Fla.) didn't put up gaudy numbers, but played excellent defense on Villanova's Lucy Olsen. Olsen, the BIG EAST's leader in scoring, managed only 10 points on 4-for-17 shooting against Wright and the Pirates.

THE STORY:
Seton Hall shot 45.5 percent in the opening quarter, but was badly out-rebounded by Villanova, including a 5-to-0 deficit on the offensive glass. A jumper by A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill.) gave The Hall an 11-6 lead with 3:28 left, but the Wildcats closed the opening quarter with a 9-0 run to take a 14-11 lead into the second.

Down 18-13, The Hall scored six straight, and a step-back jumper by Baines gave it a 19-18 lead with 5:36 to go before halftime. Villanova responded with an 8-0 run to speed back ahead, 26-19, with 2:48 left before the break. An offensive rebound and score by Shailyn Pinkney (East Hartford, Conn.) ended the Villanova run and The Hall found itself down, 26-21, after 20 minutes.

After putting up 27 three-point attempts against Providence, The Hall shot just five in the first half against Villanova.

Villanova opened the second half with a 9-2 run to grab a 35-23 lead with 3:47 left in the third. Seton Hall rallied with a 7-0 burst of its own, and a driving layup by Amari Wright (Jacksonville, Fla.) cut its deficit to 35-30 and forced a Wildcats timeout with 1:30 to go in the quarter.

The Wildcats led by as many as 10 in the fourth quarter, but the Pirates went on a run late and a free throw by Baines with 1:00 left in the contest cut The Hall's deficit to only four, 47-43. Villanova, however, was able to ice the game on the free-throw line.

THE NUMBERS:

Seton Hall was 18-for-62 (29.0%) from the floor for the game, while Villanova was 17-for-57 (29.8%). The Hall was 2-for-12 (16.7%) from three-point range, while the Wildcats were 7-for-24 (29.2%).
Baines had a game-high 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting with seven rebounds, three blocks and two assists.
Villanova out-rebounded The Hall, 44-to-41, but the Pirates had a 16-to-15 edge on the offensive glass.
Seton Hall was 7-for-10 (70.0%) from the free-throw line, while Villanova was 9-for-14 (64.3%).
Seton Hall forced 15 turnovers, while the Wildcats forced 12, but Villanova had an 11-to-4 advantage in points-off-turnovers.

THE NOTES:

Seton Hall drops to 9-5 overall and 1-2 in conference games, while Villanova improves to 9-5 overall and 2-1 in BIG EAST play.
The Hall is now 29-46 all-time against Villanova and has dropped the last four games in the series.
The Pirates have now held seven consecutive opponents under 55 points. They've held nine opponents overall under 55 points in only 14 games so far this season.
Seton Hall held Villanova to just 29.8 percent shooting from the floor, which is the lowest mark for a BIG EAST opponent this season and the third-lowest of any Pirate opponent.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 6 when it travels to Indianapolis, Ind. to take on Butler. The game will be streamed live by the BIG EAST Digital Network and available for FloHoops subscribers. Tip-time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET.