The Pirates hosted the Xavier Musketeers at Walsh Gymnasium on Dec. 10 and took care of business, winning by a score of 86-62.
Seton Hall looked to avoid a three-game losing streak after consecutive losses to Villanova at home and No. 11 ranked Connecticut in Hartford, CT. The Musketeers, on the other hand, were looking for their first conference win and second overall win of the year. The last time they faced off, the Hall stole the win, 61-47, in Cincinnati.
The first quarter was all Pirates, as sophomore guard Micah Gray led the way with nine points on a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Freshman guard Savannah Catalon and graduate forward Azana Baines each added five points in the quarter. The Hall led Xavier 26-12 after the first quarter.
The second quarter saw much of the same, with Catalon tacking on another six points in the quarter. Graduate forward Kae Satterfield added another five points to go with three rebounds.
Xavier freshman guard Daniela Lopez led the team with eight points at the half, followed by fellow freshman guard Aizhanique Mayo and graduate guard Mackayla Scarlett with four points each.
Unfortunately for the Musketeers, there was no second half comeback for them. Catalon once again led the team in points for the quarter and Gray, as well as graduate forward Sha’Lynn Hagans and senior forward Makennah White, all contributed four points in the third.
Seton Hall sealed the game in the fourth quarter. Catalon led the way with a game-high 21 points, a game-high six assists, and four rebounds. Gray followed with 16 points and five rebounds on 4-for-8 shooting from beyond-the-arc. White and Satterfield both tied for a game-high seven rebounds.
For Xavier, Scarlett led the team with 19 points in the game, with Mayo providing 12 of her 16 points in the second half.
The Pirates’ pressing defense poked out 10 steals from Xavier and forced 16 total turnovers. Their offensive rebounding was also key, as the team pulled down 12 offensive rebounds and had 14 second-chance points.
The Pirates move past Georgetown to secure seventh place in the BIG EAST standings, while Xavier maintains their spot at last in the conference. The Pirates will now look to make it a streak, as they take on St. John’s in Queens on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 7:00 pm.
John Misiewicz writes for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at john.misiewicz@student.shu.edu.
