Seton Hall women’s basketball returned to Walsh Gymnasium for the first time in two weeks on Friday with the Pirates falling to the UConn Huskies 74-49 to open Big East play.
The Huskies jumped out early after a layup from the sophomore phenom Paige Bueckers put them up 7-3. Seton Hall followed this with a 10-0 run of their own that was capped off by a deep ball by Sidney Cooks and put them up six with five minutes to play in the first quarter. Another run for UConn brought them within one, but the Pirates went into the second quarter with a 17-16 lead. Mya Jackson had eight of Seton Hall’s 17 points in the first quarter and the team forced six turnovers.
UConn showed why they are the second ranked team in the nation in the second quarter. After trading baskets, the Huskies pulled away with a 12-0 run that brought the lead to 32-19. They never looked back in the second quarter, as UConn cultivated a 23-6 advantage in the second quarter and went into the half with a commanding 39-23 lead.
A three-pointer from Lauren Park-Lane opened an even half for the Pirates. A 14-13 advantage for UConn in the third quarter showed hope for Seton Hall, though down big with a 17-point deficit heading into the final quarter of play. The Pirates opened up the fourth quarter with a big 7-0 run thanks to a Park-Lane triple to cut the lead to 12 with seven minutes remaining. The Huskies rebuttal seemingly put the Pirates away with their 12-2 run putting them up big, 69-47, with just under three minutes left in the game.
UConn went on to take their first matchup of the season by a score of 74-49, despite Seton Hall holding them to just 18% from three-point range. The Hall shot 27.6% from the field compared to Connecticut’s 47.9% and just 16.1% from downtown. They did win the free throw battle, though, while shooting 85% on 14 attempts from the stripe.
The loss of former UConn Husky Andra Espinoza-Hunter just hours before tipoff due to a suspension showed on the stat sheet. Espinoza-Hunter’s presence on the boards as the Pirates’ leading rebounder could not be reciprocated. The Huskies outrebounded the Pirates by a margin of 48-to-30. Park-Lane lead Seton Hall with 20 points and five assists on Friday night followed by Mya Jackson’s 14 points. Sidney Cooks added 13 points and six rebounds.
Seton Hall drops to 3-3 on the season heading into their matchup against St. John’s. The Pirates will travel to Queens, N.Y. to take on the Red Storm on Sunday, December 5th at 2 pm.
