The Seton Hall women’s basketball team came up short on Sunday afternoon in Hinkle Fieldhouse, as the Butler Bulldogs defeated them, 66-48.
The final score in this affair is not indicative how close the game was for two-and-a-half quarters. In fact, at halftime, Seton Hall led by a score of 30-26.
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Photo via SHU Athletics[/caption]
Jaquan Jackson was the team's leading scorer with 10 points, as the senior guard shot 2-for-4 from three. The Pirates were shooting at a 63 percent clip from beyond the arc in the first half and looked more than capable of continuing that output throughout the game.
The third quarter, however, was where a noticeable separation took place. The Pirates led 36-32 after forward Shadeen Samuels hit a jumper and a layup in the opening five minutes, but those field goals only proved to be the calm before the storm.
In the final five minutes, Butler went on a 16-2 run to close out the quarter and took a commanding 10-point lead into the fourth. The Pirates turned over the ball three times in the final five minutes, and aided Butler by sending them to the free-throw line as well.
The fourth quarter comeback was stymied by the Pirates inefficient shooting from the field. When they needed their offense the most, Seton Hall had their worst offensive quarter of the game, as they shot 2-for-13 from the field.
Despite tying for the team-lead in points, Jackson did not score in the second half. She finished with 10 points, two assists and three steals. Junior guard Nicole Jimenez also had a noticeable performance, with eight points and five assists on the afternoon.
The Pirates have played considerably better at home than on the road this season, boasting an overall record of 7-3 at home and 2-4 on the road.
The Pirates have now opened Big East play losing four out of their first five games, and will take on the Xavier Musketeers in Cincinnati, Ohio on Jan. 10. After that, Seton Hall has a slate of home game that can help them climb back up the conference standings, as the Pirates will host three consecutive home games versus Villanova, Georgetown and St. Johns.
Before that, the Pirates will look to finish their Midwest road trip on a positive note with that Xavier game on Wednesday, Jan. 10. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Evando Thompson can be reached at evando.thomposon@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @Thompsev.
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