BOX SCORE (pdf)
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SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. The Seton Hall women’s basketball team fell short to Massachusetts, 70-61, in the championship of the Aeropostale Seton Hall Basketball Classic on Saturday afternoon in Walsh Gym. Senior Monique Blake (Union, N.J.) led the Pirates with her second straight double-double, a 19-point, 11-rebound effort, but no other SHU player reached double-figures.
The Pirates trailed by as many as seven points in the second half before a layup by Blake put them ahead 54-53 with 6:15 to go. The Pirates stretched their slim margin to three on consecutive buckets by sophomore Brittney Messina (Massapequa, N.Y.) to go ahead 61-58 with 3:54 to play.
Massachusetts clamped down on Seton Hall the rest of way, closing the game on a 12-0 run. A three-pointer and layup from Alisha Tatham put UMass ahead 63-61, before Kate Mills scored four straight points to stretch the lead to six. The Pirates missed their final seven field goals before a foul shot from Tamara Tatham and two more from Kim Benton closed out the scoring for a 70-61 UMass win.
The final margin was the largest lead either team had in the game as they battled to a back-and-forth first half. Seton Hall took a 16-12 lead at the 11:30 mark of the first half after sophomore Noteisha Womack (Fort Washington, Md.) hit a layup, but UMass responded with a 14-2 run over a five-minute span to go ahead 26-18.
The Pirates quickly responded with a 9-1 run to knot the game, capped by a jumper from junior Amber Harris (Washington, Pa.). SHU could not manage to take the lead however as the Minutewomen took a 33-29 lead into the break. The Pirates got within one point, 35-34, early in the second half after Shantel Brown (Lakewood, N.J.) hit a three-pointer, but Seton Hall fell behind by as many as seven before Blake managed to put them ahead for the last time at 54-53.
Blake’s double-double led the way, but Brown and freshman Nicole Emery (Baldwin, N.Y.) each added eight points. Brown added four assists with just one turnover, while Emery grabbed five rebounds. Blake and Brown were both named to the all-tournament team for their efforts.
Kate Mills was named the tournament MVP after scoring 22 points and six rebounds. Pam Rosanio was also named to the all-tournament team and added 14 points and seven boards. The Pirates committed just 11 turnovers, compared to 18 by UMass, but the difference in the game came on the arc. SHU shot just 1-for-18 (.056) from three-point range, while UMass was 5-for-10.
The Pirates continue their homestand on Tuesday, Nov. 21, when they host
Iona in a
7:00 p.m. game at Walsh Gym.
