Seton Hall University
Providence
Second-Half Surge Leads Seton Hall Past Providence, 90-87
1/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 25, 2014
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Down by as many as 16 points in the second half the Seton Hall University women's basketball team stormed all the way back to pick up a 90-87 victory at Providence College on Saturday afternoon. With the win the Pirates improve to 13-5 overall and 4-3 in the BIG EAST.
Seton Hall is now 3-1 on the road in conference play and has won three-straight games away from home against BIG EAST foes for the first time since the 2002-03 season. The Pirates also defeated Providence College at Mullaney Gymnasium for the first time in nearly six years to the day; a 58-43 victory on Jan. 26, 2008.
This game had a very different feel than that low scoring affair in 2008 with Seton Hall putting up 90 points on the Friars, marking the second time this season the Pirates have eclipsed 90 points and the first time against a BIG EAST foe in over 19 years; the last occurrence was a 90-71 victory at Providence on Jan. 7, 1995.
All of that offensive effort was needed with Seton Hall needing to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit and 16 point Providence lead in the second half. The Friars (6-13, 1-7) led 46-36 at the intermission, scoring the most points against Seton Hall in the first half of a game this season.
Behind a double-double from Alexis Harris (12 points, 10 rebounds), the Friars shot 56.3 percent (18-for-32) from the field in the first half and drilled five 3-points, three coming from Tori Rule. It was a big offensive boost off the bench from freshman Teresa Kucera (Schwabisch Hall, Germany) that helped Seton Hall stay in the game. She scored a career-high nine points on three 3-pointers, making her the first player other than Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas) to hit three 3-pointers in a game for the Pirates this season.
Once the second half was underway the Pirates needed stops to cut into the lead, but they just weren't able to get them as Providence steadily extended the lead from the free-throw line. The Friars attempted 13 free throws through the first seven minutes of the period, shooting 11-for-13 from the line, and had their largest lead, 68-52, with 12:56 remaining.
From there the Seton Hall offense finally got on track and a lightning fast 18-4 run over fewer than four minutes of game time made it a one possession game with over eight minutes to play.
A Sidney Cook (Parkton, N.C.) jumper sparked a stretch of 10 unanswered for Seton Hall, and it was Cook providing the bookend as well, taking a pass from Richardson-Smith for a layup to cut the Providence lead to 68-62. The Pirates continued to hammer away in the paint, getting field goals from Bra'Shey Ali (Plainfield, N.J.) and Cook, and then two Ka-Deidre Simmons (Newark, N.J.) free throws to pull within two, 70-68, with 8:49 to play, the closest the team had been since the opening moments of the game.
Developing an inside presence played a major factor in the comeback. In addition to limiting Providence to just 11 second-half field goals, Seton Hall scored 26 points in the paint, netted 21 on second-chance opportunities and outrebounded the Friars 33-18 over the final 20 minutes of action.
Following Simmons' free throws Providence briefly regained the momentum, rattling off an 8-2 run to retake an eight point lead with 6:48 to play. A couple of critical buckets from Alexis Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.) in the paint helped the Pirates pull back within three points, and a huge Richardson-Smith triple from the right wing tied things up at 4:45, the first of a pair of clutch late baskets for Seton Hall's leading scorer.
Brown hit again at 3:47, grabbing an offensive board off a Cook missed jump shot and laid it up and in to give the Pirates their first lead of the game. Down the stretch Seton Hall led by as many as six points but the Friars frantically attempted to come back.
An Evi Iiskola 3-pointer with 22 second to play made it a one possession game once again, and the Pirates were unable to convert at the line as the Friars cut the lead down to one. Brown stepped to the line with just over eight seconds to play and missed both free throws, but Richardson-Smith another outstanding play, tipping the rebound up in the air before securing it and hitting a short jumper in the paint. The Friars quickly burned their last timeout and Rule missed the desperation three as time expired.
In all five Pirates finished in double figures for the second time this season. Simmons led the way with 20 points, also dishing out eight assists. Ali and Cook both recorded double-doubles. For Ali it marked the third-straight game with double digit points and rebounds as she finished with 14 points and 16 boards. Cook tied her career high with 14 points, and also grabbed 11 boards for her third career double-double and second in BIG EAST play.
Richardson-Smith finished with 19 points and eight boards, and Brown hit 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting, nailing four buckets down the stretch after sitting most of the second half because of foul trouble.
Harris led five Friars in double figures finishing with 30 points on 11-for-14 shooting and 13 rebounds, scoring the most individual points against the Pirates this season.
Seton Hall will play three of its next four games at home, and opens that stretch on Tuesday, Jan. 28, as its welcomes Creighton University to Walsh Gymnasium. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
