BOX SCORE (.html)
BOX SCORE (.pdf)
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. Senior Ela Mukosiej (Bialystok, Poland) scored a season-high 22 points and junior Noteisha Womack (Washington, D.C.) recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds as the Seton Hall women’s basketball team defeated Saint Joseph’s, 59-42. The Pirates (7-2) extended their home winning streak to 12 with the victory.
Freshman Ebonie Williams (Hagerstown, Md.) was also in double-digits for SHU with 10 points. Timisha Gomez led the Hawks (5-6) with 13 points.
Mukosiej scored the first six Pirate points on a trio of field goals in the opening two minutes and 32 seconds as the teams played to a tie in the early going. Seton Hall would not hit from the field for the next 8:59 until a Womack basket inside cut the Hawks’ lead to 14-13. Saint Joseph’s answered with a 10-1 run to take its biggest lead of the game at 24-16 with 3:34 left in the first half. But the Pirates would rally as the halftime approached, using five points from Williams as part of an 11-1 spurt to go into the break trailing by one.
The Hawks stayed in the game early in the second half, taking a 38-36 lead on two Brittany Ford foul shots. SHU then ratcheted up its defense, holding Saint Joseph’s scoreless for the next 9:39. The Pirates scored 17 unanswered points, with seven from Womack and six from Mukosiej, to take a commanding 53-38 lead with under five minutes remaining.
Seton Hall turned in another strong performance on the glass, outrebounding the Hawks by 10, 41-31. Saint Joseph’s was held to 22.2% shooting in the second half and 29.8% for the game. The Pirates came up with 16 steals, five by junior Jadis Rhodin (Lakehurst, N.J.), and forced 25 Hawk turnovers.
Sophomore Nicole Emery (Baldwin, N.Y.) chipped in a career-high four blocked shots for the Hall.
Seton Hall returns to action on Dec. 28 when it takes on Western Michigan in the first round of the San Diego Surf N Slam at 7:00 p.m. Quinnipiac and San Diego St. meet on the other side of the bracket. At 7-2, the Pirates are off to their best start since an 8-1 opening to the 1994-95 season.
