Women’s basketball continued to build momentum with their second consecutive win of the season, defeating the Fordham Rams, 67-44, in Walsh Gymnasium. Senior I’yanna Lops and Big East Player of the Week Faith Masonius contributed a total of 34 points to the win, dropping 17 each for the night.
Masonius also tallied six assists, and six boards, and was a constant pickpocket with three steals in the game. As a team, on-court efficiency was relatively low, with a game-wide field goal percentage of 35.5% and only shooting 17.2% from beyond the arc. What put the Pirates ahead was lockdown defense, causing a total of 24 turnovers in the game, and forcing several key scoring droughts that would prove fatal to the Rams.
Fordham would claim the lead for the first and only time in the game with a layup from junior Chae Harris delivered by senior Taya Davis. The Pirate offense went on 15 points scoring run, including an and-one play from senior Amari Wright layup and a 3-pointer from Masonius. The Pirate offense lost some life in the mid-first quarter, as the Rams responded with their scoring run, holding the Hall scoreless until Masonius broke the silence from the charity stripe.
The Rams scored the first field goal of the second quarter, as senior Taylor Donaldson made contact from long-range assisted once again by Davis. The duo would close the gap further on the Pirates with yet another trifecta from Donaldson passed by Davis, narrowing the gap to 25-19, the smallest lead for the Pirates for the rest of the game.
Pirates guard Nicole Melious then buried a long-range bucket off an assist from Masonius. Seton Hall would pull even further ahead before the half. With a layup from junior Shalyn Pinkney and a midrange jumper from sophomore Savannah Catalon right before the buzzer, the score was 38-23 at the half.
Lops opened the third quarter from downtown, with yet another assist from Masonius. Lops found a groove in the third, getting to the hoop for an and-one that would increase Seton Hall’s lead to 21. Shortly after, the Pirates went on a four-minute drought that allowed the Rams to recover. Fordham cut the lead to 15 in the final two minutes of the third. The teams exchanged buckets throughout the end of the third, including three trips to the line.
The Hall began to pull away in the fourth quarter, dominating in the Rams’ paint with close-range buckets from every player on the hardwood. Following a layup from senior Kaydan Lawson, the Pirates led 66-37, the largest lead of the game. The Rams were held scoreless by the Pirate defense for six minutes, with the drought broken up by a three-ball from sophomore Amiyah Ferguson. Despite late-game offensive efforts from Fordham, Seton Hall came out on top 67-44 as the buzzer sounded.
The Pirates are currently 4-1, and their next game is against the USC Trojans on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. The Trojans are 4-0 and will look to further their undefeated season.
Christian Hui is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at christian.hui@student.shu.edu.
