Women's Basketball Heads To #14 Notre Dame, Saturday

GAMENOTES (.pdf) 

THE MATCHUP

            Seton Hall plays its final road game of the regular season as it travels to #14/14 Notre Dame.  The Pirates, who have dropped eight straight games, need wins in their final two contests to have a chance at a BIG EAST Championship berth.

            SHU is coming off a 73-45 loss at St. John’s on Tuesday night.  Ebonie Williams led the way for the Pirates with 16 points, while Shantel Brown added 13.  Seton Hall played without Letitia Curry, Ela Mukosiej, and Noteisha Womack, all due to injury.

            Notre Dame has won two straight games and seven of its last eight after crushing USF on Wednesday night, 92-49.  The Fighting Irish, who will be celebrating Senior Day, are 12-3 at home on the season.  Senior guard Charel Allen leads three players in double figures with 14.2 points per game.  Notre Dame averages 78.5 points per contest.     

            The Pirates wrap up the regular season with DePaul on Senior Day at Walsh Gymnasium on Mar. 3.  The first 300 fans will receive a t-shirt courtesy of the Pirate Blue Athletic Fund.

SERIES BREAKDOWN

            Seton Hall is 4-15 all-time against Notre Dame.  In their last trip to the Joyce Center, the Pirates pulled off a 74-61 upset of the #12 Fighting Irish on Jan. 7, 2006.

First Meeting     12/11/93

Result               SHU 62-55

Last Meeting     1/3/07

Result               ND 64-61

BATTLING FOR A BERTH

            Seton Hall still has a fighting chance at making the BIG EAST Championship field.  The Pirates will need to win their final two games and hope for help in the form of losses by Villanova, Georgetown, and USF.

INJURY BUG BITES SHU

            Letitia Curry (hand), Ela Mukosiej (knee), and Noteisha Womack (concussion) sat out the Louisville and St. John’s games due to injury.

SHU VS. THE TOP 25

            Seton Hall is 8-103 all-time against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, with six of the wins coming at home.  SHU has lost five straight to Top 25 teams, with the last win coming on Feb. 20, 2007 over #19 Marquette.  The Hall is 0-27 against teams ranked in the top five.

SHAKING UP THE STARTERS

            Head coach Phyllis Mangina has made changes to her starting lineup for six straight games, bringing the total number of starting combinations used this season to 11.

DO IT AGAIN

            The last time Seton Hall traveled to Notre Dame, the Pirates pulled off a stunning upset of the #12 Fighting Irish, 74-61, on Jan. 7, 2006.

AVERAGING A DOUBLE-DOUBLE

            With her current averages of 10.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, junior Noteisha Womack is trying to become the first Pirate to average a double-double since Dana Wynne in the 1996-97 season.

LOOKING TO SNAP THE SKID

            The Pirates’ eight-game losing streak is its longest since a 12-game skid from Jan. 21, 2006 to Nov. 11, 2006.

DOUBLE UP

            Junior Noteisha Womack is tied for fifth in the BIG EAST with eight double-doubles this season; she entered the year with a career total of two.

EBONIE IS KEY...

            The scoring of freshman guard Ebonie Williams has been a huge part of Seton Hall’s success this season.  In the 15 games in which Williams has scored in double figures, the Pirates are 8-7.

...WOMACK AS WELL

            Junior forward Noteisha Womack’s rebounding has also been a good barometer of Seton Hall’s play.  When Womack rebounds in double figures, the Pirates are 9-2.  She leads the BIG EAST with 10.5 rebounds per game.

THE “3” BECOMES A WEAPON

            Seton Hall has 104 made 3-point field goals this year after connecting on just 57 in all of 2006-07.  The Pirates are hitting 30.2% of their attempts this season after making only 24.2% last year.

THE 500 CLUB

            Junior Noteisha Womack joined the 500-point club at Seton Hall with a second half field goal at Providence.  Senior guard Ela Mukosiej has already hit the milestone this season, while junior Jadis Rhodin (475 points) also has a shot at the mark.

THE J IN JADIS

            Junior guard Jadis Rhodin has connected from beyond the arc 39 times this year after making a combined 29 in her first two seasons.

HARRIS RETURNS TO ACTION

            After missing three games with a broken nose, senior Amber Harris returned to the Seton Hall lineup against Louisville with eight points and six rebounds in 27 minutes.

EB FOR THREE

            Freshman Ebonie Williams tied her career-high of three 3-pointers made in three straight games against Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and Syracuse.

RHODIN RIPS THE NETS

            Junior Jadis Rhodin exploded for a career-high 25 points against Syracuse while also setting a personal-best of six made 3-pointers.

SCHOOL RECORD FROM “3”

            The Pirates hit a school record 11 3-pointers against Syracuse, eclipsing the previous mark of 10 set on Jan. 30, 2002 against Georgetown.  Seton Hall’s 24 attempts were the second most in program history, bettered only by the 26 3-pointers tried against Notre Dame on Jan. 2, 1997.

CURRY’S SPICY LINE

            Junior Letita Curry had season-highs of 10 points, five steals, five blocks, three assists, and 35 minutes played against Syracuse.

BROWN SHARES THE BALL

            Sophomore Shantel Brown handed out a career-high eight assists against Syracuse.

AUSSIE IMPACT

            With injuries to starters Amber Harris and Noteisha Womack, senior Nikole Sullivan played a career-high 25 minutes and set personal-bests with six rebounds and three blocks against Connecticut.

SHOOTING STRUGGLES

            The Pirates had season-lows of 12 made field goals and 21.4% shooting against Connecticut.  It was the Hall’s least accurate performance since shooting 19.4% (12-62) at Notre Dame on Jan. 31, 1998.  SHU’s 36 points was its fewest since scoring 35 against Notre Dame on Mar. 1, 2005.

TAKING ON #1

            Seton Hall is now 0-12 all-time when taking on the top-ranked team in the country; in all 12 cases, that team has been Connecticut. 

BAD TIMING

            For the third straight season, Seton Hall faced Connecticut with the Huskies coming off a loss.  UConn has rebounded from its defeats with wins of 40, 48, and 46 points.

FOUR SCORE

            Two Pirates - Noteisha Womack and Ebonie Williams- are currently averaging double-figure points.  The Hall has not had three players finish a season averaging 10 or more points since the 2001-02 season.  Although early records are incomplete, it is believed that four players have finished a season averaging double-figures just twice in school history - in 1986-87, and in 1982-83, when the team was still nicknamed the Bucettes.

CURRY ADDS TO THE MIX

            Junior Letitia Curry turned in one of her most productive games as a Pirate against West Virginia, tying her season-highs of six points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes of action.

OFF THE MARK

            Seton Hall struggled mightily from the field against West Virginia, shooting a then season-low 28.6% from the floor while tying a then season-low with only 16 made baskets.  The Pirates also had a forgettable day at the foul line, hitting 38.9% (7-of-18) for another season-low.

MUKOSIEJ ON TARGET

            Senior Ela Mukosiej hit 7-of-12 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws on her way to 20 points against St. John’s in just 22 minutes of action.  Her performance snapped a five-game streak of games in which she did not reach double-digit points.  Mukosiej now has three games of 20 or more points this season and seven in her career.

THROW SOME D ON PC

            Seton Hall limited Providence to 27.1% shooting from the floor, tying its second-best defensive performace of the season.  The Pirates were also active on the glass, outrebounding Providence by 14.

SUCCESS IN RHODE ISLAND

            The Pirates extended their winning streak at Providence’s Alumni Hall to seven after defeating the Friars on Jan. 26, 58-43 .  It has  been over 11 years since Providence has pulled off a win over the SHU at home, with the last coming on Jan. 16, 1997.

OVERALL DOMINANCE

            SHU’s success against Providence has also continued at Walsh Gymnasium, where the Pirates have won five of the last six.  In all, 11 of the last 12 meetings have gone to SHU.

A COLD NIGHT IN D.C.

            Seton Hall suffered through one of its worst shooting nights of the season at Georgetown in a 57-56 loss.  The Pirates shot 36.2% from the field and made only 17 field goals, the third lowest total of the season for a single game in both categories.  SHU was also outrebounded for just the fifth time this year.

HOME STREAK SNAPPED

            Seton Hall had put together a 14-game home winning streak dating back to last season before falling to USF.  The Pirates had  not been defeated at Walsh Gymnasium since Rutgers took a 62-50 win on Jan. 13, 2007.  The 14-game streak is the third longest in school history behind two 20-game streaks (1/5/94-1/11/95 and 1/15/80-1/28/81).

2-0 IN THE BIG EAST

            For the fourth time in the past six years, the Pirates got off to a 2-0 start in conference play.  SHU has still never won its first three in the BIG EAST.

WINNING STREAK ENDS AT SEVEN

            The Pirates season-high seven game winning streak came to an end at Rutgers on Jan. 12.  The stretch tied the ninth longest streak in school history.

WILLIAMS FINDS HER RANGE

            Freshman guard Ebonie Williams buried a career-high three 3-pointers on her way to a team-best 13 points in the win over Cincinnati.

BIG EAST OPENERS

            Seton Hall has won three straight BIG EAST openers and is 10-13 all-time under Phyllis Mangina in conference debuts after defeating Cincinnati this year.

WOMACK NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK

            Junior Noteisha Womack earned the first BIG EAST Player of the Week Award of her career after being named MVP of the San Diego State Surf N Slam.  Womack scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the championship game against Quinnipiac while playing 43 minutes.

MUKOSIEJ HITS 500

            Senior Ela Mukosiej scored her 500th career point in the Hall’s win over Quinnipiac at the San Diego State Surf N Slam.  Mukosiej accomplished the feat in her 42nd game as a Pirate.

TOURNEY TITANS

            With its victory at the San Diego State Surf N Slam, Seton Hall has now won three straight in-season tournaments.  The Pirates won this year’s SHU Classic, as well as last season’s Christmas City Classic at Lehigh University.

DECEMBER TO REMEMBER

            At 4-0, the Pirates completed an undefeated month of December for the first time since the 1994-95 campaign.

ELA ERUPTS, PART 2

            Senior guard Ela Mukosiej poured in a career-high 26 points to lead the Pirates to a win over Western Michigan in the first game of the San Diego Surf N Slam.  She also set career-highs in made 3-pointers with four and 3-point attempts with five.

OFFENSIVE FIREWORKS

            Seton Hall’s 85 points against Western Michigan was the most scored by the Pirates since they defeated Fairfield on Dec. 7, 2002, 85-50.

FIVE IN DOUBLE FIGURES

            All five Seton Hall starters scored in double figures against Western Michigan, led by senior Ela Mukosiej’s career-high 26 points.

ELA ERUPTS

            Senior guard Ela Mukosiej turned in a standout offensive performance against Saint Joseph’s, pouring in a then season-high 22 points. 

WILLIAMS WINS ROOKIE HONORS

            After scoring a career-high 21 points in Seton Hall’s win at Northwestern, freshman guard Ebonie Williams was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Dec. 10.

WOMACK’S HISTORIC NIGHT

            Junior forward Noteisha Womack grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds at Northwestern, tying the fifth best single-game total in Seton Hall history. 

MORE CAREER HIGHS

            Junior guard Jadis Rhodin continued her all-around strong play this season by making a career-high seven steals at Northwestern.  Senior guard Ela Mukosiej collected a personal-best eight rebounds.

ONE FOR THE ROAD

            After an 0-2 start away from home in 2007-08, SHU picked up its first road win of the season at Iona, 63-57.

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.

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.

BIG DAY FOR WILLIAMS

            Freshman guard Ebonie Williams scored a then 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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

 

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 five televised games in the 2007-08 campaign.  On Dec. 6, the Pirates faced 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.  SHU’s game at Pittsburgh was televised by Comcast in the Pittsburgh local area.  On Feb. 9, CPTV carried Connecticut’s visit to SHU, while SNY televised 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.