The Seton Hall women’s basketball team traveled to Hinkle Field House in Indianapolis to face the Butler Bulldogs after a three-game homestand. Seton Hall, looking to extend their win streak Sunday, rolled through Indiana to secure their third straight win, 72-56.
Sunday was unusual for the Pirates, as they saw themselves trailing 9-8 early despite their hot starts against Xavier and Georgetown. A 15-to-3 run lead by four three pointers allowed the Pirates to build a commanding lead at the end of the first frame. Andra Espinoza-Hunter’s last second deep ball capped the run and solidified a 23-12 lead for The Hall.
Espinoza-Hunter opened the quarter, once again with a triple, followed by a tough jumper from graduate student Katie Armstrong to bring the lead to 16 for the Pirates. Butler retaliated with an 11-to-0 run and cut Seton Hall’s lead to just five halfway through the second quarter. Two Butler free throws before the break put the Bulldogs down 36-31 headed into halftime.
Butler continued to crawl back and eventually took the lead with 6:36 remaining in the third quarter after Seton Hall opened the half shooting just 2-for-8. A 41-40 lead for the Bulldogs did not last long as The Hall sparked an 8-0 run to retake the lead, 48-40. The last two minutes of the quarter saw both teams go scoreless until Mya Jackson scored a layup with 22 seconds left before the final quarter of play.
The fourth quarter proved to be the deciding factor of the matchup. Seton Hall closed out strong by holding Butler without a field goal for over seven minutes in the fourth quarter. The Pirates enjoyed a 14-2 run and sailed to a 72-56 win. Butler was led by Tenley Dowell, who scored 17 points to go along with nine rebounds.
Five Pirates scored in double figures Sunday afternoon. Espinoza-Hunter scored 20 points to continue her dominance and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in the victory. Lauren Park-Lane earned a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists, and Mya Jackson scored 10 points as well. Sidney Cooks and Curtessia Dean put in 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Seton Hall stays hot with their third-straight victory in Indianapolis, improving to 6-7 in conference play and 11-10 overall, while Butler remains without a win in Big East play. The team returns to action on Wednesday, February 9th as they continue their road trip in Washington D.C. to face Georgetown at 7:00 p.m. The Pirates defeated Georgetown last week and broke the Big East and conference record for three pointers in a game with 19.
