Seton Hall battled the No. 3 seed Creighton Bluejays in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Big East Tournament on Saturday. The Pirates looked for revenge, as the team faced an 0-2 season series against the Bluejays,
Creighton jumped out to a 5-point advantage at the 8:04 mark of the first quarter on the strength of three consecutive three-pointers, holding true to their BIG EAST lead in three-pointers made per game. The Hall would eventually take a 4-point advantage following an 11-0 burst led by none other than seven points from Lauren Park-Lane. Seton Hall kept a one-point lead going into the second off a Sidney Cooks jumper.
The Bluejays offense was relentless in the second quarter, pulling ahead with three pointers from Jamye Horan and Lauren Jensen. The Pirates struck back with a trifecta from Cooks assisted by Park-Lane, cutting the lead down to five with 4:34 left in the second. The Pirates were able to cut the lead down to 2 off a Park-Lane layup, and they went into the half down 33-31.
The third quarter saw The Hall and Creighton exchange two-point field goals, as neither team could get it going from deep. The Pirates offense gained momentum with just over three minutes left in the third, capitalizing on jumpers and makes from the foul line. Two free-throws from Kae Satterfield increased the Pirate advantage to seven before the end of the third.
Creighton began to close in on the Pirates, tying the Hall in the middle of the fourth with a three-pointer from Morgan Maly. The Pirates tried pulling away by converting in the paint, though Creighton remained within striking range at the end of the fourth.
Emma Ronsiek shocked the Pirates with a clutch three-pointer, and the game was headed to overtime following a failed last-second attempt from Seton Hall.
Both teams remained within three points of each other during overtime with six lead changes before the clock expired. Bembry scored a layup off an assist from Baines to put the Pirates in the lead with 11 seconds left in overtime. Creighton’s Morgan Maly ended the game with a layup as time expired, ending the Pirates’ game and tournament run in heartbreak.
Seton Hall’s Big East tournament run came to an end in a tough 75-74 loss. Park-Lane led all scorers with 36 points, a Big East tournament record, to go with eight rebounds and six assists. Baines followed with an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double while Bembry added 10 points and six rebounds.
The Pirates finish the season with a 10-10 Big East conference record and 18-14 overall. They now hope for a bid to continue their postseason in the either the NCAA or NIT tournament.
Christian Hui can be reached at christian.hui@student.shu.edu.
