Women's Basketball To Face Iona on Wednesday

GAMENOTES 

THE MATCHUP

            Seton Hall returns to the east coast after an 0-2 trip to Utah to take on the Iona Gaels of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.  The Pirates are coming off a 47-43 loss at BYU on Nov. 23.

            Junior guard Jadis Rhodin leads SHU in scoring off the bench, averaging 10.3 ppg.  Named MVP of the SHU Classic, she is 14-of-23 from 3-point range while shooting 55.0% overall on the season.  Freshman guard Ebonie Williams is second on the team in scoring with 10.2 ppg.  Junior forward Noteisha Womack is second in the BIG EAST with 10.8 rpg to go along with 10.0 ppg..

            Iona is 1-3 after falling to Providence in its last game, 73-64, on Nov. 17.  The Gaels own a win over St. Francis (N.Y.) and have losses to Hofstra and Stony Brook.  Senior guard Lauren DeFalco leads Iona with 11.0 ppg, followed by sophomore guard Thazina Cook with 10.8 ppg to go along with a team-best 8.3 rpg.  Live video of the contest will be available to Hall Pass subscirbers at SHUPirates.com, courtesy of Iona Athletics.

            Seton Hall continues its road swing on Dec. 6 at Northwestern.  The Pirates next home game is not until Dec. 21 against Saint Joseph’s.

SERIES BREAKDOWN

            Seton Hall is 13-0 all-time against Iona.  The Pirates defeated the Gaels at Walsh Gym last season, 75-50.

First Meeting     1/25/75

Result               SHU 70-53

Last Meeting     11/21/06

Result               SHU 75-50

A LOOK AT THE GAELS

Head Coach: Anthony Bozzella

Record: 1-3

            Iona is 1-3 thus far in 2007-08 after posting a 21-13 mark a year ago.  The Gaels advanced to the WNIT Second Round after narrowly falling to eventual NCAA Sweet 16 participant Marist in the MAAC Championship.

            Leading Iona is sharp-shooting senior guard Lauren DeFalco, who is averaging 11.0 ppg.  Sophomore guard Thazina Cook has significantly stepped up her production from her debut season, with averages of 10.8 ppg and 8.3 rpg.  Preseason All-MAAC pick Tiara Headen, a senior guard, has posted 9.0 ppg and 7.3 rpg. 

            Head coach Anthony Bozzella is in his sixth season at Iona.  He is 53-98 with the Gaels but has led the team to two consecutive winning seasons.

CONNECTIONS

            SHU and Iona are connected in several ways.  Gael head coach Anthony Bozzella is a 1988 graduate of Seton Hall University.  Former SHU player and coach Shaheen Holloway is presently an assistant coach for the men’s team at Iona, while ex-Pirate Kashif Pratt is a member of the men’s squad.  Current Pirate volleyball coach Kris Zeiter spent two years as the head man at Iona, leading the Gaels to the NCAA Tournament in 2004. 

MAAC FOES

            The Pirates went 2-0 last season against opponents from the MAAC, defeating Iona and Saint Peter’s.  SHU is 1-0 in 2007-08 after defeating Manhattan in the season-opener.

BOOKER READS THE LANES

            Sophomore guard Ashley Booker came up with a career-high six steals at BYU while playing her best game of the season.  She added a season-high 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting.  Sophomore guard Shantel Brown also set a career-high with five steals against the Cougars.

LOW OUTPUT

            Seton Hall’s 43 points at BYU was the team’s lowest output since scoring just 39 points against Virginia on Dec. 7, 2005.

OT DEFEAT

            Seton Hall fell in overtime to Utah Valley, 78-73.  It was the first overtime game for the Pirates since Jan. 3, 2006, when they defeated West Virginia, 67-61.

CLEANING THE GLASS

            One game after setting a career-high with 15 rebounds against San Diego, junior forward Noteisha Womack tied her mark against Utah Valley.  She also added 13 points for her second doouble-double of the season.

BIG DAY FOR WILLIAMS

            Freshman guard Ebonie Williams scored a career-high 19 points against Utah Valley.  Included in her performance was the first 4-point play of her career.

4-0

            Seton Hall went undefeated through four games for the first time since the 1993-94 season.  The Pirates have not been 5-0 since the 1992-93 squad won its first six contests.

SHU CLASSIC

            Seton Hall snapped a three-year championship drought in the SHU Classic with this year’s tournament victory.  The Pirates dispatched George Mason easily in the first game, 78-41, before coming from behind to defeat San Diego, 69-55.

RHODIN NAMED MVP

            Junior guard Jadis Rhodin was named SHU Classic MVP after pouring in a career-high 19 points in the championship game against San Diego.  Rhodin is off to a spectacular start in 2007-08, sinking 14-of-23 3-pointers after hitting only 15-of-49 a year ago.  

HARRIS HOUNDS THE GLASS

            Senior forward Amber Harris posted her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds against San Diego.  She was named to the SHU Classic All-Tournament Team.

WHOA-MACK

            Junior forward Noteisha Womack has been a rebounding dynamo in the early season.  She grabbed a career-high 15 caroms against San Diego, breaking her mark of 13 set two games earlier against fairleigh Dickinson.

DEFENDING THE SHIP

            Seton Hall has put together an 11-game home winning streak dating back to last season.  The Pirates have have not been deafeated at Walsh Gymnasium since Rutgers took a 62-50 win on Jan. 13, 2007.

DECISIVE VICTORY

            Seton Hall’s 37-point win over George Mason was the largest margin of victory in a Pirate win since a 42-point win (88-46) over Sacramento State on Nov. 25, 2001.  Just one game eariler this season, the Pirates sent Fairleigh Dickinson to a 36-point defeat.  It is the first time since 1994-95 that SHU has two wins of at least 30 points in the same season, and it is just the fifth time in school history that the Pirates won consecutive games by at least 30 points.

FRESHMAN FRIDAY

            Rookie guard Ebonie Williams erupted for 16 points in the Friday game of the SHU Classic, the highest total of her young career.  Williams has started every game for the Pirates so far.

RHODIN ROLLS ON

            Junior guard Jadis Rhodin matched her career-high set in the season-opener by again connecting on four 3-pointers against Fairleigh Dickinson.

WOMACK DOUBLES UP

            Junior forward Noteisha Womack registered a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double against Fairleigh Dickinson.

SHU D

            Seton Hall’s defense is proving once again to be one of the nation’s toughest.  The Pirates forced 28 turnovers against Fairleigh Dickinson while limiting the Knights to 13 made field goals and 27.1% shooting.  George Mason managed only 13 field goals as well and shot just 26.5%.  San Diego’s high-octane offense was held to 55 points on 31.6% shooting.

WHAT A START!

            Sophomore guard Shantel Brown provided an electric start to the 2007-08 season for Seton Hall, burying a desperation three-pointer from 30-feet out to knock off Manhattan, 61-60.  It was the first game in almost a year for Brown, who missed all but five games last year due to injury.

HUGE DAY FOR HARRIS

            Senior forward Amber Harris was dominant inside against Manhattan, scoring a career-high 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for the second double-double of her career.

PIRATES FIRE FROM DOWNTOWN

            Seton Hall was 7-of-11 from three-point territory against Manhattan, surpassing its highest single-game total of made attempts from all of last season.  The Pirates had not connected on seven three-pointers since Jan. 6, 2006 at Notre Dame.

RHODIN ON TARGET

            Junior guard Jadis Rhodin hit a career-high four three-poiners in five attempts against Manhattan.

SHU VS. NEC

            The Hall faced its first NEC opponent in FDU since defeating St. Francis (N.Y.) on Nov. 20, 2005, 68-50.  The Pirates could face Quinnipiac in the San Diego Surf N Slam in December.

SEASON OPENERS

            Seton Hall had lost two straight season-opening games before defeating Manhattan.  SHU is now 17-6 in season debuts under head coach Phyllis Mangina.

MESSINA OUT INDEFINITELY

            Junior guard Brittney Messina is out indefinitely due to a back injury.

CAPTAINS OF THE SHIP

            Seton Hall announced its captains for the 2007-08 season - senior forward Amber Harris, senior guard Ela Mukosiej and senior center Nikole Sullivan.

A NEW FACE ON THE BENCH

            Brian Stanchak joins the Seton Hall women’s basketball coaching staff for the 2007-08 season after two seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson.

THE NEW KIDS

            Three freshmen and a junior transfer join the Seton Hall roster for the 2007-08 season.  Guard Ebonie Williams of Hagerstown, Md. was the 47th-ranked prospect by the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.  Gretchen Gaskin of Oralnd Park, Ill. and Kashmere Joseph of London, England complete the freshman class.  Eligible at midseason will be junior Letitia Curry, who transferred from American University midway through last season.

SETON HALL TABBED 10TH

            The Seton Hall women’s basketball team was picked 10th in the Preseason BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team or players. Connecticut topped the poll with 225 points while earning 15 of 16 first-place votes. The top 12 teams in the conference standings qualify for the conference championship in Hartford, Conn., March 8-11.

MUST SEE TV

            Seton Hall will play a minimum of four televised games in the 2007-08 campaign.  On Dec. 6, the Pirates will face Northwestern on the Big Ten Network live from Evanston, Ill.  Seton Hall and St. John’s square off in a nationally-televised game from Walsh Gymnasium on Jan. 29.  On Feb. 9, CPTV will carry Connecticut’s visit to SHU, while SNY will televise the Pirates’ trip to Marquette on Feb. 16.

GREEN AND HEBER SIGN FOR 08

            The Seton Hall women’s basketball program has signed two high school seniors to National Letters of Intent.  Kandice Green of Baltimore, Md. and Shanai Heber of Paterson, N.J. will join the team in the 2008-09 season.  Green, a 6-1 forward at St. Frances Academy, averaged 15 points and 14 rebounds as a junior while leading her school to its fifth straight IAAM A conference title.  She was a First Team All-Met and First Team Baltimore City selection after earning preseason Honorable Mention All-America accolades from Street & Smith’s Magazine in 2006.  Green is ranked 82nd overall in the class of 2008 by the Blue Star Report.  Heber, a 5-9 combo guard from Kennedy High School, averaged 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals per game as a junior.  She was named to the All-Passaic and Herald News All-Area teams.

IMPROVEMENT IN 2006-07

            Seton Hall tied for the fourth-best improvement in the nation in 2006-07 according to NCAA statistics.  The Pirates had an overall improvement of 11.0 games; Oklahoma State topped the list with a 12.5 game improvement.

A CHANGE IN 2009

            Beginning next season, all 16 teams on both the men’s and women’s side will qualify for the BIG EAST Championship Tournament.