Seton Hall hosted Villanova on Super Bowl Sunday in what became an instant classic for the Big East rivals. Lauren Park-Lane and Maddy Seigrist put on an offensive masterclass, though the Pirates came out victorious, 72-60.
Villanova took the lead early in the first frame thanks to 7 early points from Seigrist. Trailing 16-9, The Hall closed the quarter strong with a 7-3 run and trailed by just 4. Katie Armstrong put in an easy midrange jumper for her 1,000th career point.
Park-Lane opened the second quarter with a crossover and step-back to create space for a deep two pointer. Sidney Cooks tied the game at 19 with an elbow jumper that was followed by a spin fake for a layup to take the lead two minutes into the quarter. That bucket propelled her to the 1,000-point mark for her career, as well. Seton Hall’s defense was strong in the second quarter, holding Villanova scoreless for four minutes. A late Andra Espinoza-Hunter triple boosted the lead to five. Cooks brought the lead to double digits late in the half with another post-spin, though a buzzer beater from Seigrist sent the Wildcats into the half down nine, 38-29.
Three Pirates scored double digits for the half. Park-Lane led with 13 points and 3 assists, while Cooks had 10 points and 4 rebounds. Andra Espinoza-Hunter added 10 points herself and a game-high 7 rebounds. Siegrist kept Villanova in the gam with 13 points and 4 rebounds.
Cooks opened the second half similar to how she finished the last with an easy layup. The Wildcats fired back with back-to-back shots from behind the arc on the other end. Seton Hall held Villanova scoreless for another five minutes during the third quarter as the lead grew to 15. Six straight from the Wildcat offense sent The Hall into the final quarter leading 50-41.
The lead fell to six early in the fourth quarter, though Villanova could not pull any closer. Park-Lane dominated the fourth quarter with an astounding 15 points to give her a career-high 33 points in the Pirates victory. She finished with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals as well. Maddy Siegrist carried the Wildcats with 31 points and 11 rebounds in the Sunday matinee.
Sidney Cooks recorded another double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Espinoza-Hunter nearly had a double-double as well with 11 points and 9 rebounds.
The Pirates extend their win streak to a season-best five, improving to 8-7 in Big East play and 13-10 overall. Seton Hall returns to action on Friday, February 18th at 7:00 p.m. to continue their 4-game homestand as Providence travels to South Orange.
