The Seton Hall women’s basketball team was able to win its second straight game Friday night by defeating the Butler Bulldogs, 72-67, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indiana.
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© Joey Khan Photography[/caption]
Butler was leading 36-28 at the start of the second half, and senior Blaire Langlois connected for a three-pointer to push the Bulldogs’ lead to 11. The Pirates then responded with a 20-8 run and ended the third quarter with a 48-47 lead.
Tabatha Richardson-Smith led the way with 27 points and seven rebounds while shooting 13-of-14 from the free-throw line.
Tiffany Jones, who had not scored in double digits since the Pirates’ last game against Butler (Jan. 24), broke the streak and finished with 14 points and 14 boards. It was her sixth double-double of the season and her first since Jan. 5 against DePaul.
Seton Hall also held a 28-12 advantage over Butler in points off the bench. Shakena Richardson and Claire Lundberg each put up seven points and two rebounds.
Butler had a more balanced offensive attack with four players scoring in double digits. Langlois led her team with 19 points. Brittany Ward and Sydney Buck each scored 13 points and Belle Obert finished with 10.
One reason why the Bulldogs were unable to maintain their lead late in the game was their shooting. After going 14-of-31 from the field in the first half, Butler shot a mere 10-for-29 in the second.
After a strong game on Friday against Villanova, LaTecia Smith was able to follow through with another strong performance. She picked up a career-high seven rebounds while dropping five points. She also joined Richardson-Smith and Aleesha Powell in having at least two steals.
The Pirates, now 19-7 and 9-6 in the Big East, have swept Butler for the second straight season. Their last road game of the season is Sunday at Xavier with a 2 p.m. start time.
Anthony Di Paolo can be reached at Anthony.dipaolo@student.shu.edu.
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