Seton Hall women’s basketball extended their winning streak to five with a victory against Rider University at home on Friday before heading on the road.
The game began with the Pirates and Broncs trading easy baskets scored down low, though only four points were scored over the next three minutes to give Seton Hall a 6-2 advantage with 5:28 remaining. Jala Jordan converted on a fast break, tacking on a free throw in the process, and sparked a 23-3 burst to finish the quarter; The Hall forced 14 first-quarter turnovers and allowed just five points.
Leading 27-7 after Rider’s Tonirenee Blandford made a layup, the Pirates went on a 15-2 run to extend their lead to 42-9. Defense was Seton Hall’s strongest factor in the first half as they did not allow the Broncs to convert from behind-the-arc and held the team to just 21% from the field overall.
Sha’Lynn Hagans and Azana Baines each scored eight points in the first half to help The Hall take a 44-11 advantage headed into the intermission. Six other Pirates scored, including six points from both Lauren Park-Lane and Sidney Cooks. Seton Hall forced 19 turnovers from the Broncs and only had five themselves. They had nine steals and 24 points just from turnovers.
After being held to just 11 points in the first half, Rider looked to make a push and scored 16 points in the third quarter alone. Despite this, Seton Hall’s lead did not come below 30 for the remainder of the game.
Women’s basketball walked away with a massive victory over Rider in their Friday matinee, 78-40, and extended their winning streak to five. Hagans led the way with 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Cooks followed with 12 points, while Park-Lane added 11 points and six assists. Baines notched 10 points and six rebounds. All 12 Pirates that played were able to score.
Seton Hall forced 30 turnovers total for the first time since 2019 and continue their defensive dominance. They improve to 7-3 overall and look ahead to Dec. 11 when they hit the road to take on the University of Central Florida in Orlando at 3 p.m.
Thomas Donnelly can be reached at thomas.donnelly@student.shu.edu. Find him on Twitter @_tommyd023.
