Pirates Leash Bulldogs Behind Stellar Defense, 71-48

Wednesday, January 29

South Orange, N.J.

7:00 PM

Seton Hall University

15-5,7-2Big East

Butler

12-11,2-8Big East

Butler

Seton Hall

Photo by: Justin DiPietro

Pirates Leash Bulldogs Behind Stellar Defense, 71-48

1/29/2025 11:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score BOX SCORE (.pdf)

Seton Hall improves to 7-2 at the halfway point of the BIG EAST season.

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall women's basketball team used a 23-0 first-half run to pull away from Butler in a 71-48 victory in historic Walsh Gymnasium on Wednesday.

Both teams had trouble scoring in the first half, but the Pirates' stellar defense rose to the occasion keeping Butler scoreless in the second quarter until there were only 52 seconds left before halftime.

Sophomore Savannah Catalon (Mansfield, Texas) had a game-high 15 points to go with three rebounds and six steals in only her second game back from injury.

Freshman Jada Eads (Orlando, Fla.) didn't have a great shooting game, but filled the box score. She finished with 14 points, six assists, tied her career-high with seven rebounds, and set a career-high with five steals. Faith Masonius (Spring Lake, N.J.) added 12 points and four rebounds before fouling out.

THE STORY:
The Pirates scored the first six points of the game, but then was held scoreless for 5:42. Butler, however, was only able to tie the score during The Hall's drought. Seton Hall broke out of its scoring funk in the final minute of the quarter, scoring a quick six points to take a 12-6 lead after 10 minutes.

Seton Hall extended its run to 23-0 in the second quarter, and a layup by Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick (New London, Conn.) gave it a commanding 29-6 lead with 1:20 left before halftime. The Pirates held Butler scoreless for the first 9:08 of the second quarter, forcing 13 turnovers and holding the Bulldogs to 0-for-10 during the run. Despite going 0-for-9 from three-point range in the first half, the Pirates took a 30-11 lead into the break.

The Hall scored the first five points of the third quarter, buoyed by a three-pointer by Catalon, to give it a 35-11 advantage just 1:24 after halftime. Up 39-17, Masonius outscored Butler, 6-2, over the next two minutes to extend the Pirates' lead to 45-19 with 3:20 left in the third. The Bulldogs never got closer than a 20-point deficit the rest of the game. After shooting just 30.3 percent from the floor in the first half, the Pirates erupted for 58.1 percent in the second.

CAN'T... GUARD... HER.#HALLin 🏀🏴‍☠️🔵⚪@MarchMadnessWBB @BIGEASTWBB pic.twitter.com/qf97ydBpaj
— Seton Hall Women's Basketball (@SHUWBB) January 30, 2025

THE NUMBERS:

Seton Hall was 28-for-64 (43.8%) from the floor for the game, while Butler was 13-for-41 (31.7%). The Hall was 5-for-20 (25.0%) from three-point range, while the Bulldogs were 7-for-22 (31.8%).
Catalon had a game-high 15 points to go with three rebounds and six steals.
The Hall out-rebounded Butler, 35-to-33, which included a 12-to-8 edge on the offensive glass and a 12-to-6 advantage in second-chance points.
Eads tallied 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and six steals.
Seton Hall was 10-for-12 (83.3%) from the free-throw line, while Butler was 15-for-19 (78.9%).
Masonius collected 12 points and four rebounds.
Seton Hall forced 28 turnovers, while the Bulldogs forced 12. The Hall had a massive 37-to-10 advantage in points-off-turnovers.
Amari Wright (Jacksonville, Fla.) had six assists and three steals.
The Pirates had 34 points in the paint, compared to just 10 for Butler.

THE NOTES:

Seton Hall improves to 15-5 overall and 7-2 in BIG EAST play, while Butler falls to 12-10 overall and 2-8 in conference play.
The Hall is now 19-6 all-time against the Bulldogs and has now won 13 of the last 14 meetings.
The Pirates improve to 137-51 in Walsh Gym during the Bozzella era. Furthermore, the Pirates are now 64-38 against BIG EAST opponents at home.
Tonight was the 129^th career game played for Wright, which ties her with former Pirate great and current assistant coach Ka-Deidre Simmons for second-most in Seton Hall history.
Seton Hall forced at least 20 turnovers today for the 12^th time this season. It's also the 16th time in 20 games that the Pirates have forced more turnovers than their opponent.
The Pirates collected at least 10 steals for the 14^th time this season. Seton Hall's 19 steals tonight are a season-high.
Butler is Seton Hall's 12^th opponent held to 55 points or fewer this season. The Pirates are a perfect 12-0 in those games.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to action on Saturday, February 1 when it makes the trip to Chicago to face BIG EAST rival DePaul. Tip time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed live by the BIG EAST Digital Network and available for FloCollege subscribers. As always, 89.5 FM WSOU or wsou.net will also carry the contest.