Overpowered in the paint, the women's basketball team was hammered on the boards by No. 19 Georgetown in their 59-41 defeat.
The Hoyas (17-5, 5-3) out-rebounded the Pirates by 14.
"Defensively, we played as well as we could play," head coach Anne Donovan said. "What we didn't do defensively was box out. And those 21 offensive boards broke our back."
From tip-off, Georgetown set the tone after freshman guard Samisha Powell swished back-to-back three pointers from the right wing.
Seton Hall's first two baskets came with seconds on the shot clock counting down.
Freshmen guards Jazzmine Johnson and junior guard Jasmine Crew lead the way for the Pirates in the first half, scoring five points respectfully.
Early on, Seton Hall (7-14, 0-8) struggled offensively, mainly due to the Hoyas' defense that laid in on the shot clock or denied passes to junior forward Kandice Green posting on the low block.
Georgetown controlled the floor from their full court press, which eventually collapsed into a man-to-man or zone defense.
Halfway through the first half, however, the Pirates got within 10 to make the score 7-17.
But sophomore guard Sugar Rodgers, who is the second highest scorer in the Big East and leading rebounder for the Hoyas, sank in a three from the right baseline.
On the other side of the floor, with 6:52 left to play in the half, sophomore guard Terry Green answered by scoring on a three-point attempt before Johnson would do the same a few possessions later.
As the Hoyas looked to run the floor against the Pirates, Georgetown ended the first half just the way it started, with a three-point basket, to extend their lead to 20 points.
The beginning of the second half was a different story.
Seton Hall came out pushing the ball fast up the court and attacking the rim to go on an 8-0 run before Georgetown would answer, making the score 27-41.
The Pirates got to the foul line more and made it count. Seton Hall even got within 10 points with 11:40 to play.
Then Georgetown head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy took out her five starting players because she didn't believe they were playing as hard as they could.
"It will never be accepted," Williams-Flournoy said. "We play hard all the time, no matter what happens...teams aren't going to die. This is the Big East."
When Rodgers only shot 5-17, junior forward Adria Crawford took control, scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds, one shy of a double-double.
The Hoyas were simply more aggressive on both sides of the court.
Overall, Georgetown converted 20 points off of turnovers and 20 points on second chance shots.
Seton Hall, however, did not stop hustling, no matter the score.
For the Pirates, Terry Green ended with 11 points, while senior forward Kashmere Joseph pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
"They don't quit," Donovan said. "What we can take credit for is that that don't quit. They're playing hard and fighting back. As long as they're fighting, that shows they have confidence. If they're not confident, they're not continuing to fight. The white flag goes up."
Seton Hall will continue to fight in the Big East when they host Providence at 2:00 Feb. 6 in Walsh Gymnasium.
Krissy Wrobel can be reached at kristine.wrobel@student.shu.edu.
