Seton Hall University
Philadelphia
Pirates Top Philadelphia in Exhibition
11/2/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 2, 2013
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall University women's basketball team erased a nine-point deficit with fewer than three minutes to play to force overtime and eventually prevail, 87-85, over Philadelphia University in an exhibition contest on Saturday afternoon at Walsh Gymnasium.
Trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half, the Pirates were down by nine after Philadelphia's Monica Schacker hit a layup with just 2:57 to play. Redshirt junior point guard Ka-Deidre Simmons (Newark, N.J.) converted on a pair of free throws seven seconds later to cut the Rams' lead down to seven and spark what turned into a feverish comeback for the Hall.
Philadelphia had an 18-7 lead in points off turnovers late in the second half, but it was pressure from the Pirates that turned the momentum back in their favor as Seton Hall forced three turnovers in a span of just 1:15, scoring on the other end after each takeaway and eventually taking the lead, 66-65, on a Janee Johnson (Matthews, N.C.) lay-in with a minute to play.
Freshman Sidney Cook (Parkton, N.C.) also played a key role in the comeback, scoring twice in 15 seconds. She finished the game with 11 points and eight rebounds, despite being hampered by foul trouble for most of the night.
The Rams would lead once more, but just briefly, as Tori Amao made a heads up play to intercept an outlet pass and quickly lay it in with 15 seconds on the clock. On Seton Hall's ensuing possession Simmons was fouled as she drove through the lane with seven seconds to play, and she calmly stepped to the line to sink both free throws and force an overtime period.
Seton Hall sprinted out to a four-point lead, its largest of the game to that point, when Cook scored again a minute into the action. A Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas) 3-pointer two possessions later pushed the lead to five and then Richardson-Smith converted on a 3-point play, scoring after an offensive rebound and sinking the free throw.
The Pirates saw the lead cut to two four more times over the final 1:20 of play, but each time Seton Hall had an answer. Richardson-Smith finally iced the game with her 10th points of the overtime period coming in the form of a layup at the 30 second mark with a feed from Cook.
Seton Hall had five players finish in double figures and three Pirates compiled a double-double. Simmons led the Hall with 19 points to go along with 11 assists; she was 13-for-16 from the line. Redshirt-sophomore Bra'Shey Ali (Plainfield, N.J.) scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high 15 rebounds while Richardson-Smith scored 16 points and pulled down 13 boards.
Johnson hit on a team-high seven field goals, scoring 15 points and providing SHU with critical buckets throughout much of the second half. With Seton Hall in need of a spark she hit three field goals in 1:53 of action to pull the Pirates within three, 46-43, with 11:26 to play.
The Rams responded with a 7-0 run to go back up by 10, only to have Johnson knock down a three from the top of the key and cut the lead back down to seven, and from there the Pirates kept pace before completing the comeback late in the game.
Offensively the Pirates started the game with an easy transition basket, as Simmons fed Richardson-Smith for a fast-break layup on SHU's second possession. As the Rams continued to struggle offensively Seton Hall stretched its lead to three, 9-6, as sophomore Jasmine McCall (Manalapan, N.J.) hit a three and then senior Brittany Webb (New York, N.Y.) converted an easy layup underneath the rim thanks to a great feed from Simmons
Led by Bria Young Philadelphia started to heat up from the outside, taking a 21-17 lead on Young's second triple of the half, and the Rams led by as many as 11 points, 30-19, with just over four minutes to play in the period. Young led all scorers with 11 points and also had a game-high seven boards at the break.
The Pirates would make a run at the end of the half, outscoring Philadelphia 12-5 over the final 4:13, a burst that was sparked by a Simmons mid-range jumper to cut the SHU deficit down to single digits, followed on the next possession by a Richardson-Smith 3-pointer from the corner.
Seton Hall will officially open its season next Friday, Nov. 8, when it welcomes Longwood to Walsh Gymnasium. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
