BOX SCORE
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. Senior Monique Blake (Union, N.J.) hit 1-of-2 free throws with 1.7 seconds left to give the Seton Hall women’s basketball team a 51-50 win over NR/23 Pittsburgh on Saturday at Walsh Gymnasium. The Pirates (12-8, 4-5) have won three straight while the Panthers (15-5, 3-4) have dropped their last two.
After Jania Sims tied the game at 50 with a short bank shot and 17 seconds left, SHU took a timeout to set up its final possession. Ela Mukosiej (Bilystok, Poland), the game’s high-scorer with 19 points, found Blake going towards the basket, and she was fouled on her lay-in attempt. After hitting the first free throw, she missed the second and Pitt called timeout with 1.3 seconds left. Sims’ desperation three-pointer from 45 feet out was well off the mark as the Pirates held on for the victory.
Blake finished with 12 points and seven boards, while Noteisha Womack (Fort Washington, Md.) posted eight points and 11 rebounds. Marcedes Walker led the Panthers with 15 points.
Mukosiej scored seven of the first 13 SHU points as the Pirates jumped out to a five-point lead after eight minutes of play. Jadis Rhodin (Lakehurst, N.J.) and Blake later started an 8-2 spurt that saw the lead grow to 21-12 with 8:22 left. Pitt struggled with Seton Hall’s full-court pressure defense and went into the half down 29-22 after shooting just 28.6% and committing nine turnovers.
The Panthers came out much stronger in the second half, tying the game at 33 on two Xenia Stewart free throws with 13:47 remaining. After Rhodin put the Pirates back in front with a jumper, Blake’s old-fashioned three-point play and short jump shot extended the lead back to seven. Pitt inched closer, but back-to-back Womack lay-ups made it 46-39 with 6:07 left.
As the Pirate offense began to sputter, three Pitt buckets made it a one-point game before Shavonte Zellous tied the game on a free throw with 2:04 to play. The teams traded misses before Mukosiej put SHU back in front with a leaning baseline jumper as the clock moved under a minute. Zellous responded with two free throws to even the score once again, but Mukosiej connected again with 23 seconds left to make it 50-48.
SHU held Pitt to 28.8% shooting overall and won the battle on the boards, 47-39. Pitt was held to 18 points below its season scoring average.
The Pirates take a week off before resuming action at Syracuse on Feb. 3 at noon.
