Hall Hosts Fresno State in Thanksgiving Classic Final
11/29/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2013
SETON HALL (5-1) vs. FRESNO STATE (3-2)
South Orange, N.J. (Walsh Gymnasium) • Saturday, Nov. 30 • 2:30 PM
Webcast: www.shupirates.com (Play-by-play: Jon Schaeffer; Color: David Gass)
Radio: 89.5 FM WSOU (Play-by-play: Ryan Flannery; Color: Vincent Paolella)
Seton Hall Game Notes
| Fresno State Game Notes | | Live Video
The Seton Hall University women's basketball team hosts Fresno State University in the SHU Thanksgiving Classic championship game on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 2:30 p.m. Seton Hall defeated Savannah State, 51-42, on Friday afternoon while Fresno State slipped past Liberty, 70-66, in the tournament's other semifinal. The Pirates have never faced Fresno State; the Bulldogs represent the fourth first-time opponent of the season for Seton Hall.
SETON HALL STATUS
Seton Hall improved its home record to 5-0 with a 51-42 win over Savannah State University on Friday afternoon. Sophomore Tabatha Richardson-Smith scored 21 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds to record her first-career double-double in the win. The Pirates shot a season-low 18.6 percent from the field in the win but were 26-for-35 at the free-throw line and outscored the Tigers, 21-4, in second chance opportunities.
FRESNO STATE STATUS
Fresno State had a week off before beating Liberty, 70-66, on Friday afternoon to improve to 3-2 overall. The Bulldogs saw Taylor Thompson knock down four 3-pointers to finish with 19 points and lead four players in double figures. Fresno State nailed 11 threes in the win over Liberty and is averaging nine 3-pointers per game while shooting 36.6 percent from long distance so far this season with four different players sinking at least eight triples.
SETON HALL VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Seton Hall has limited experience against the Mountain West Conference, posting just a 1-1 all-time record against the current members of the league. The Pirates' last meeting with a MWC program actually came just last season when the Hall fell to Wyoming, 55-45, in Malibu, Calif. The only other matchup with a member of the Mountain West came all the way back on Dec. 28, 1991, when Seton Hall defeated San Diego State University, 71-61, in South Orange.
ANOTHER FIRST-TIME DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Sophomore Tabatha Richardson-Smith became the third Seton Hall player this season to record her first-career double-double. Richardson-Smith scored 21 points and pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds to lead Seton Hall to a 51-42 win over Savannah State. It was the first-career double-digit rebound game for Richardson-Smith.
BROKEN GLASS
Three different Seton Hall players set new career-highs in rebounding in the 51-42 win over Savannah State on Nov. 29. Sophomore Tabatha Richardson-Smith, who finished with a double-double, grabbed 13 boards, as did redshirt freshman Sidney Cook. Graduate Breanna Jones finished with a career-best 10 boards. It was the first time reaching double figures in rebounding for all three players.
WINNING AT THE LINE
With the win over Savannah State Seton Hall improved to 5-0 this year when outscoring its opponent at the free-throw line. For the season the Pirates hold a 116-82 edge over their foes in free throw scoring, but that margin increased to 107-52 (+55) in Walsh Gym. Seton Hall tied its season hith with 26 made free throws against Savannah State. The Pirates have made at least 20 free throws in four of their last five games and attempted at least 30 shots from the line four times.
STARTING LINEUP VARIANCE
Seton Hall head coach Anthony Bozzella has already been forced to use five different starting lineups over the first six games of the season. Ka-Deidre Simmons and Tabatha Richardson-Smith are now the only two players to start all six games for Seton Hall.
RICHARDSON-SMITH NAMED TO HONOR ROLL
Sophomore Tabatha Richardson-Smith was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor on Nov. 25 for the first time in her career. She received the honor after nearly recording a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds in an 86-61 SHU win over Wagner. Richardson-Smith also recorded a career-high five assists to go along with a pair of steals in 34 minutes against the Seahawks.
COOK SCORES BIG RETURN
Redshirt freshman Sidney Cook returned to the floor for Seton Hall in its win over Wagner on Nov. 23, after missing three games following an injury in the season opener. Looking like she never missed a minute Cook went on to score 13 points behind 5-of-5 shooting from the floor, even knocking down her first-career 3-pointer. She needed just 14 minutes to tally 13 points to go along with four rebounds and a pair of assists.
