Women's Basketball Prepares For #25 Pittsburgh, Tuesday

GAMENOTES (.pdf) 

THE MATCHUP

Seton Hall looks to get back to .500 in the conference as it hosts the 25th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers on Tuesday night.  The Pirates are coming off a 72-62 loss at Cincinnati that snapped a two-game winning streak.  Noteisha Womack posted her 12th double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Ebonie Williams poured in 21 points.  Pittsburgh snapped a two-game skid its last time out with a 79-47 romp over USF.  The Panthers are led by senior guard Shavonte Zellous, the BIG EAST’s top scorer at 23.8 points per game.  Six Panthers average at least 5.0 rebounds, led by freshman center Kate Popovec with 6.7 per contest.  The last time the teams met in South Orange, Seton Hall came away with a 51-50 win on a last second free throw by Monique Blake.

SERIES HISTORY

First Meeting     01/08/83

Result               PITT 79-71

Last Meeting     02/06/08

Result               PITT 64-44

Series Record    PITT 23-21

Current Streak   PITT W1

BOMBED BY THE BEARCATS

Seton Hall gave up a season-high 12 3-pointers to Cincinnati in a 72-62 loss.  The Bearcats, who also had a dozen made 2-point field goals, hit 46.2 percent from beyond the arc.

FINE FROM THE LINE

The Pirates shot 94.7 percent from the line against Cincinnati, making 18 of 19 attempts.  It ranks as the fourth-best performance in school history in a game in which the Hall had at least 10 attempts.

A SWEET 16

With a 13-3 start, this year’s Seton Hall squad tied the third-best record in program history through 16 games.  The 1977-78 and 1993-94 teams both started 14-2, while the 1989-90 and 1994-95 were also 13-3.

SIX HIT DOUBLE FIGURES AT CUSE

Six Pirates scored in double figures in the Hall’s win over Syracuse, the first time that has happened for the program since Dec. 12, 1994 against Fairfield.  It is the third time this season that five or more players reached double digits.

BROWN DELIVERS ONCE AGAIN

Shantel Brown continued her stellar play of late at Syracuse, totaling 11 points, five rebounds, nine assists and four steals in a career-high 39 minutes.

WOOD IS STURDY OFF THE PINE

Freshman Whitney Wood put together her best game as a Pirate at Syracuse, scoring a career-high 10 points in 17 minutes. 

A SKID SNAPPED AT SYRACUSE

Seton Hall snapped a five-game losing streak in BIG EAST road contests with its win at Syracuse.  The Pirates’ last win away from home had been at Providence on Jan. 26, 2008.

ANOTHER HONOR FOR NOTEISHA

Noteisha Womack was selected to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Jan. 12, the third time this season she has been so honored.  She is now tied with Ela Mukosiej for the single-season program record for appearances on the Weekly Honor Roll.

WOMACK BATTLING THE NATION

Senior Noteisha Womack is currently second in the nation in rebounding with 13.3 per game.    Judie Lomax of Columbia leads with 13.8 per night.  Womack’s 7.9 defensive rebounds per game are tied for third in the country.

WOMACK DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Senior Noteisha Womack recorded her conference-leading 12th double-double of the year and the 22nd of her career with 19 points and 10 rebounds at Cincinnati.  Only three active BIG EAST players have more in their careers: Angel McCoughtry (49) of Louisville, Tina Charles (29) of Connecticut, and Kia Vaughn of Rutgers (23).

CLIMBING THE CHARTS

Several Pirates have ascended towards to the top of Seton Hall’s career lists this season.  Noteisha Womack is tied for 12th place all-time at Seton Hall with a total of 701 rebounds.  Shantel Brown is 13th on the assist list with 251 while Jadis Rhodin is 14th in steals with 161 and eighth all-time in 3-pointers with 85.

WOMACK ON NAISMITH WATCH LIST

Senior forward Noteisha Womack is one of 10 BIG EAST women’s basketball players to be named to the initial Naismith Trophy early season watch list.  The Naismith Trophy is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball’s player of the year.  The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2008-09 college basketball season. The watch list does not include incoming freshmen, although those student-athletes will be considered in the first vote in February, 2009.   The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2009 NCAA Women’s Final Four in St. Louis, MO.

HANDLING ADVERSITY

Seton Hall overcame several obstacles on its way to victory against Marquette.  Ebonie Williams, the team’s leading scorer entering the game, played just five minutes before exiting the game for good after being poked in the eye.  The Pirates were also shorthanded in the frontcourt, as Kashmere Joseph did not play after suffering an injury at Louisville.

 

RHODIN RIPS THE NETS

Jadis Rhodin made the most of her move to the starting lineup against Marquette.  The senior guard scored a season-high 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-7 from 3-point land.  She also tied her career-high with three blocks.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?

For Seton Hall, Shantel Brown poured in a season-best 12 points to go along with two rebounds and seven assists in 35 minutes against Marquette.  She was 2-for-4 from 3-point land, the first time she connected from deep this season.

IT HAD TO HAPPEN SOMETIME

Against Marquette, Seton Hall was outrebounded by its opponent for the first time this season.  The Golden Eagles held a 37-34 edge on the glass.

THIRD TIME A CHARM

The Pirates picked up their first BIG EAST victory of the season in their third try, defeating Marquette, 65-55.  Seton Hall had started 0-3 in conference play just five times in its history, with the last time coming in the 2001-02 season.  The Pirates also snapped a 12-game losing streak in BIG EAST play dating back to last season.

BEST START SINCE 1994-95

At 11-1, the Pirates matched their best start since the 1994-95 team also won 11 of its first 12.  That year, Seton Hall finished 24-9 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.  The top record through 13 games remains with the 1977-78 squad that got out of the gate at 12-1.

 

COLD SHOOTING AT LOUISVILLE

Seton Hall suffered through its worst shooting performance of the season at Louisville, hitting just 29.7 percent of its attempts.  Leading scorer Ebonie Williams was held to 1-of-10 from the floor and managed only four points.

 

WILLIAMS WORKS THE GLASS

Ebonie WIlliams made her presence felt on the glass at Louisville, collecting a career-high 10 rebounds.

VS. THE AP TOP 25

Seton Hall is 8-106 all-time against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, with six of the wins coming at home.  The Pirates have lost eight straight to ranked teams, with the last win coming on Feb. 20, 2007 over #19 Marquette.

STREAK SNAPPED AT SEVEN

Seton Hall had its seven-game winning streak, which tied for the ninth longest in program history, snapped in a loss to Notre Dame.

A CLASSIC BIG EAST BATTLE

The Pirates’ loss to Notre Dame saw the Hall nearly overcome a 12-point second half deficit before coming up short in the final 30 seconds.  SHU was limited to a season-low 60 points and had its second-worst shooting performance of the season at 34.5 percent.  The Pirates did outrebound the Irish, 38-26, to keep their 13-game streak alive in this category.

BIG EAST OPENERS

Seton Hall had won three consecutive BIG EAST openers before falling to Notre Dame this season.  The Pirates are now 10-14 all-time under Phyllis Mangina in such games.

BLOWOUT VICTORIES

For the first time since the 1993-94 season, Seton Hall has four wins by 30-plus points on its resume.  The consecutive wins over Caldwell (by 49) and Wagner (by 31) mark just the sixth time in school history the Hall has posted back-to-back wins of 30 or more points.

LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD

Seton Hall’s 95 points against Norfolk State were the most it has scored since a 95-59 win over Monmouth on Nov. 27, 1993.  The 52-point margin of victory was the largest since the Pirates defeated Northeastern by 59 points, 92-33, on Dec. 2, 1995.

THE OFFENSE IS CLICKING

Seton Hall’s offense has shown a marked improvement over last season.  The Pirates have scored 80-plus points four times this year after doing it just once in 2007-08.  The Hall has also topped 90 points three times after failing to do it at all last season.

FIVE IN DOUBLE DIGITS

Five Pirates scored in double digits against Norfolk State, the second time the Hall accomplished the feat this season, with the first coming against Caldwell.

WOMACK GOES BACK-TO-BACK ON HONOR ROLL

Senior forward Noteisha Womack was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on both Dec. 22 and Dec. 29.  Her lone previous career honor came when she was named Player of the Week on Dec. 31, 2007.

OT THRILLER

The Pirates were victorious in their first overtime game of the season, a 74-67 win at Saint Joseph’s.  The Hall was 1-1 a year ago in extra time, losing at Utah Valley before defeating Quinnipiac in San Diego.

IRONWOMEN

Three Pirates cracked the 40-minute barrier at Saint Joseph’s: sophomore Ebonie Williams played 42 minutes, while senior Noteisha Womack and junior Nicole Emery logged 41 minutes.

THE  BEAT GOES ON FOR WOMACK

Senior Noteisha Womack tied her career-high with 21 rebounds at Saint Joseph’s.

FEELS LIKE HOME

In its first season playing select home games at Prudential Center, the Pirates went a perfect 2-0 with wins over Rider and North Carolina State.

GREEN PICKS UP SECOND FRESHMAN AWARD

Kandice Green picked up her second BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Award on Dec. 15, making her the first Pirate to win twice since Heta Korpivaara in 2003-04.  Debbie Hartnett holds the SHU record with four  in 1985-86.

 

FIRST HALF FIREWORKS

Seton Hall scored the first 11 points of the game on its way to a 43-13 halftime lead against Colorado.  It was the Pirates’ largest advantage at the break since Dec. 2, 1995, when the Hall led Northeastern 45-7 after 20 minutes.

TOURNEY TITANS

Seton Hall has now won four consecutive in-season tournaments: the 2006 Christmas City Classic at Lehigh, the 2007 SHU Classic, and the 2007 San Diego State Surf N Slam and the 2008 SHU Classic.

GREEN NAMED BIG EAST FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Forward Kandice Green earned the first BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Award of the 2008-09 season.  Her averages of 14.8 points and 11.0 rebounds along with two double-doubles through the Hall’s first four games were more than enough to claim the honor for Green.  The Pirates have now had a winner for four straight seasons: Shantel Brown in 05-’06, Ashley Booker in 06-’07, and Ebonie Williams in 07-’08.

MVP EBONIE

Sophomore Ebonie Williams earned Most Valuable Player honors at the 2008 SHU Classic while leading the Pirates to two wins.  Against Wagner, she posted a career-high 25 points which she followed with 19 points, three assists and five steals against UMBC.

WOMACK IS BACK

After missing the first two games of the season due to injury, senior Noteisha Womack returned in fine fashion for the SHU Classic.  Womack notched 11 points and seven rebounds against Wagner before posting her 11th career double-double with 20 points and 17 boards against UMBC.  Her play earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

GREEN DOUBLES UP AGAIN

Freshman Kandice Green recorded her second double-double in a row to start her career with 19 points and 12 rebounds against Caldwell.

REJECTED BY SETON HALL

The Pirates blocked 11 shots against Caldwell, the sixth best performance in school history.  Junior Nicole Emery tied a career-high with five, while classmate Ashley Booker set a new personal-best with three.

TOUGH D

The Pirates held Rider to 23.7 percent shooting in the season-opener, the best team defensive effort since Notre Dame hit only 22.0 percent from the floor on Mar. 1, 2005.  A game later, SHU was even tougher, allowing Caldwell to hit only 22.8 percent.

 

A MEMORABLE DEBUT

Freshman forward Kandice Green came on the scene with a standout performance in her collegiate debut against Rider, scoring 11 points and grabbing an impressive 15 rebounds.  Green needed only 23 minutes of playing time to achieve the double-double.

SEASON OPENERS

Seton Hall is 27-9 all-time in season-opening games, including an 18-6 mark  under head coach Phyllis Mangina, after knocking off Rider to start the 2008-09 campaign.  The Pirates have won three straight home openers and are 18-6 in such games in the Mangina era.

PRUDENTIAL CENTER DEBUT

The Seton Hall women made their Prudential Center debut with a 64-48 win against Rider, a year after the men’s program moved to the new arena in Newark, N.J.  The women, who will maintain Walsh Gymnasium as their primary home venue, will play at “The Rock” again on Dec. 20 against North Carolina State. 

CURRY AND MESSINA OUT FOR YEAR

Senior Letitia Curry will miss the 2008-09 season after suffering a knee injury, while senior guard Brittney Messina is out with a back injury.

ENCORE

Sophomore guard Ebonie Williams returns after a stellar rookie campaign that saw her become the first freshman to lead the team in scoring since the 1985-86 season.  Williams was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.

RETURN OF THE REBOUNDER

Senior Noteisha Womack is back in the Hall’s lineup after leading the BIG EAST in rebounding a year ago with 10.5 per game.  In addition, Womack posted 10.0 points per game, making her the first Pirate to average a double-double since Dana Wynne in 1996-97.

THE CAPTAINS

Senior Noteisha Womack and juniors Nicole Emery and Shantel Brown will serve as the 2008-09 team captains.

PIRATES TABBED 14TH

Seton Hall was picked to finish 14th in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches Poll.  Connecticut picked up 14 first-place votes to land in the top spot, while second-place Rutgers and third-place Louisville also earned a first-place vote.  Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.  Sophomore Maya Moore of Connecticut was named Preseason Player of the Year, while April Sykes of Rutgers earned Preseason Freshman of the Year honors.

PIRATES REUNITE IN SPAIN

Heta Korpivaara and Monique Blake, 2007 graduates, and Ela Mukosiej of the class of 2008 are teammates once again on the professional level.  All three are signed with Cref Hola in Spain.

GREEN SIGNS NLI

Terry Green of Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville, N.Y. has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the women’s basketball program in the 2009-10 season.  Green, a 6’0” forward, is ranked 18th at her position and 92nd overall in the ESPNU HoopGurlz 100.  She was a Ninth Team All-State selection in Class AA as a junior.  Green comes from the same high school as current Pirate Nicole Emery.

GATHER ROUND THE TV

The Pirates will have a pair of home games on the air as part of the BIG EAST’s television package.  On Feb. 1, SHU will face St. John’s on ESPNU in the BIG EAST Game of the Week, while the Feb. 7 contest with Villanova will be on SNY as the regional Game of the Week.

PIRATES ON THE RADIO

Seton Hall’s student radio station, 89.5 FM WSOU, will broadcast the majority of this season’s contests.  For a full schedule, visit SHUPirates.com.

2009 BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP

In 2009, the BIG EAST will invite all 16 teams to its men’s and women’s championship tournaments.  The women’s tournament will be held Mar. 6-10 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.

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