Coming off a huge win against Butler at Walsh Gymnasium, Seton Hall traveled to Chicago to face the DePaul Blue Demons in hopes of avenging their January loss. The Pirates sailed to a 94-90 victory behind a combined 56 points from Sidney Cooks and Lauren Park-Lane on Friday at Wintrust Arena.
An early 8-2 Seton Hall run after DePaul’s initial bucket helped keep the Pirates afloat through the first quarter. DePaul combatted this with a 10-2 surge later in the frame, though six late points gave The Hall a 23-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. Sidney Cooks scored eight points through the first 10 minutes, six of which came from the 8-2 run.
Following two free throws from Andra Espinoza-Hunter, DePaul ran away with an 11-0 run for a 33-25 lead halfway through the second quarter. Mya Jackson hit a triple to cut the lead to six soon after, though the Blue Demons tacked on five more points for a double-digit lead. The Hall trailed by 9 with 2:39 remaining before the break, and a personal Park-Lane 8-0 run to close the half cut the DePaul lead to just 1. Seton Hall headed into the half with a 44-43 deficit.
Park-Lane dominated DePaul’s defense to begin the second half. Back-to-back three pointers began a huge 13 point burst from the junior guard. Holding a 62-55 lead with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter, DePaul took off with a 13-5 run for a 68-67 lead. The frame concluded with another bucket from Park-Lane to cap her 17-point quarter and a Cooks triple. The final 1:25 did not see either side convert offensively, and Seton Hall took a 72-68 lead into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter saw the Blue Demons fighting, though never stealing the lead back from The Hall. DePaul rounded up a 9-1 surge late in the fourth frame, but never overcame the deficit and Seton Hall came out with an upset victory in Chicago. Park-Lane’s game-high 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists in 40 minutes of play led the way for the Pirates. Sidney Cooks followed with a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Jackson added 16 points on 3-for-5 shooting from downtown. Espinoza-Hunter had 12 points Friday night.
Seton Hall improves to 11-8 in Big East play and 16-11 overall after their win against DePaul. They will conclude regular season play on Tuesday, March 1st in Cincinnati, Ohio as the Pirates take on Xavier at 2:00 pm.
