BOX SCORE
JERSEY CITY, N.J. The Seton Hall women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to seven games with a gritty 59-56 win over Saint Peter’s on Tuesday night. Senior Monique Blake (Union, N.J.) led the Pirates (16-8) with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Junior Ela Mukosiej (Bilystok, Poland) hit double figures for the seventh straight time, scoring 13 points while battling foul trouble. Tania Kennedy and Elina Kalnina each netted 14 for the Peahens (10-14).
After falling behind early, a three from Jadis Rhodin (Lakehurst, N.J.) and a bucket from Blake evened the score at 11 with 10:35 left. The Pirates kept rolling, stretching the run to 14-2 on two more Blake scores, a Brittney Messina (Massapequa, N.Y.) lay up, and a three-pointer from Nicole Emery (Baldwin, N.Y.) to take a 20-13 lead. Saint Peter’s fought back and closed the half with the final five points to head into the break down 26-25.
SHU seemed to have the game under control when Mukosiej’s jumper gave the Pirates a 50-40 advantage with 7:27 to play. But the Peahens would not go quietly as Kalnina capped a 7-0 run with a trifecta to cut the lead to three with just over three minutes left.
After a Mukosiej lay in pushed the lead to five, Amber Harris (Washington, Pa.) hit 1-of-2 free throws to give SHU a 57-51 lead with 26 seconds left. Kennedy drilled a three for the Peahens, who quickly fouled and sent Mukosiej to the line, where she went 1-for-2. After drawing a foul on her drive, Johnell Burts made both free throws to make it 58-56 with 11 seconds remaining. After another 1-of-2 performance by the Pirates at the line, Saint Peter’s had two final chances to tie in the waning seconds, but both three-point attempts were off the mark.
Each team shot an identical 38.2 percent from the floor, while SHU enjoyed a 42-28 edge on the glass. The Pirates blocked a season-high nine shots and turned in a 28-5 advantage in bench points.
Seton Hall will look for its seventh straight BIG EAST win and eighth overall on Saturday when it travels to DePaul for an 8:00 p.m. tip.
