Seton Hall University
Lafayette
Morris Powers WBB Past Lafayette
11/11/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Morris, who has scored in double figures in back-to-back games to start the season, shot a blistering 8-for-10 from the field, including a 3-for-4 clip from three-point range. She also added five boards, four assists and two steals to her impressive stat line.
Richardson-Smith came off the bench to net 15 points and tie for the team lead with six rebounds in 22 minutes of action, recording the first double-figure scoring game of her career. Junior Janee Johnson (Matthews, N.C.) was a force down low, netting seven points with six rebounds and a blocked shot.
Seton Hall is off to a 2-0 start for the second-straight season and has now won six-straight against Lafayette, although the two teams were matching up for the first time since 1993.
The first half was a tale of the Seton Hall offensive leaders taking control at different stages of the game, as Morris, Johnson and Richardson-Smith accounted for all 31 of the Pirates' first half points.
Morris made the different initially, draining three-pointers on consecutive possessions to get her team on the score board, before Johnson assumed control, scoring six-straight points for The Hall.
Richardson-Smith stole a pass and went coast-to-coast for a fast-break lay in to tie the game at 14-14 midway through the opening period, and answered a 4-0 Lafayette run with a trey just 90 seconds later.
After Richardson-Smith's five-point scoring burst it was Morris who once again took the lead on offense. She gave Seton Hall its first lead of the game, 19-18, with a pair of free-throw makes which sparked what turned into a personal 8-2 scoring run for the senior guard.
The Pirates led by as many as nine points in the first half, but Lafayette pulled within four as Brya Freeland knocked down a three-pointer with just 50 seconds remaining. On what looked like it was going to be the final possession of the frame for Lafayette, Richardson-Smith and Morris both made big plays that helped the Pirates take a six-point lead into the locker room.
Richardson-Smith tied up Jamie O'Hare with just 5.5 seconds to play in the period, giving the Pirates possession and Morris wrapped up her stellar first half by hitting a runner in the lane as time expired to put SHU in front, 31-25.
Morris scored 16 of her points in the first half where she was 6-for-7 from the floor. Richardson-Smith chipped in eight points and four boards and Johnson scored all seven of her points in the opening period.
Lafayette started the second half on a 6-0 run tied the game at 31-31 with a jumper from Kristan Liddle with 15:04 to play. However, again it was Morris coming through on offense, answering Liddle's bucket with a three-pointer on Seton Hall's next possession to put the Pirates back in front by three.
Seton Hall led by as many as 10 points midway through the second half, ending a 14-4 scoring run over 4:23 of game time when senior Terry Green (Brentwood, N.Y.) hit a 15-foot jumper to give the Pirates a 45-35 advantage.
Big baskets from sophomore center Chizoba Ekedigwe (Laurel, Md.) and senior forward Alexandra Maseko (Harare, Zimbabwe) helped the Pirates maintain their lead down the stretch before a late Lafayette charge with under two minutes to play.
Down by eight points after a three-point play for Ekedigwe, Lafayette managed to hit a pair of three pointers over a span of just 42 seconds to make it a two-point game with one minute remaining
That was as close as the Leopards would get with Morris and Richardson-Smith going 4-for-4 at the line over the final 18 seconds of the game to ice the win for Seton Hall. The Pirates also hit some key free throws late in its season-opening win over NJIT on Friday night and are now 7-for-8 from the line this season in the final minute of the game.
Seton Hall forced 19 Lafayette turnovers and held a 22-11 advantage in points off turnovers and an 8-0 lead on fast-break scoring opportunities. Danielle Fiacco finished with a double-double, scoring 13 points with 10 rebounds and six blocks to lead Lafayette.
Seton Hall (2-0) begins a four-game road trip starting on Wednesday, Nov. 14, when it heads down to Philadelphia, Pa., to face Temple University. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
