The Seton Hall women’s basketball team defeated Philadelphia University 86-64 on Saturday in preseason action.
Shupirates.com
Ka-Deidre Simmons led the Pirates with 20 points on the afternoon, going 8-for-13 on the field. The junior guard from Newark, N.J. found herself on the court frequently with graduate-transfer student from Alabama, Daisha Simmons (no relation), who had 16 points on the day, but found herself in some foul trouble.
“She was a little nervous and excited early,” head coach Tony Bozzella said. “I think she got frustrated with some of the calls.”
Daisha Simmons finished the day with four fouls in her first look as a Pirate.
Another Pirate who had a strong day was Tabatha Richardson-Smith, whose play was noticeable and drew praise from the head coach.
“She played good,” Bozzella said. “She blew the game open. She was getting good looks.”
Richardson-Smith shot 4-for-14 on the field, recording 13 points.
Red-shirted junior Bra’Shey Ali led all Pirates with 14 rebounds on the afternoon, her value was stressed by Bozzella.
“Without her, it’s difficult for us to be as competitive as we would like to be,” he said. “She’s very important.”
Bozzella said he liked the team’s energy as he tried some new looks today, but added that he knows the team can still improve in some areas. One area is from the perimeter, where the Hall shot 9-for-32 on the afternoon.
“You can tell we have a lot better shooters than we have ever had,” he said.
Others areas that Bozzella is confident the blue and white can improve on is their bench, which only shot four from the field.
“Our bench is still a lot better than they showed today,” Bozzella said. “They’ve got to get better.”
With an exhibition game under their belts, the Pirates will prepare for the regular season, which begins on Friday, Nov. 14, against Rider in the Preseason WNIT.
Neal McHale can be reached at neal.mchale@student.shu.edu or on twitter @nealmchale.
