Seton Hall University
Creighton
WBB Three-Game Winning Streak Snapped by Creighton, 76-73
1/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2014
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall University women's basketball team was unable to erase a late eight point deficit in what turned into a wild finish at Walsh Gymnasium as the Pirates had their three-game winning streak snapped in a 76-73 loss to Creighton in BIG EAST action on Tuesday night.
Marissa Janning scored a game-high 28 points for Creighton (13-8, 7-2) and hit a pair of key shots down the stretch to carry the Bluejays to a win. Her first big bucket came with Creighton already leading by five as the clock dipped under three minutes to play as she knocked down an open 3-pointer from the right side to extend the lead to eight.
Undaunted, Seton Hall (13-6, 4-4) charged back, chipping away at the Bluejay advantage with five unanswered, capped off by a Ka-Deidre Simmons (Newark, N.J.) 3-point play with 1:56 remaining. On the ensuing Creighton possession it appeared as though the Pirates would get another stop with a chance to come back down and tie the game as Bra'Shey Ali (Plainfield, N.J.) made an athletic play, blocking a Janning jump shot along the baseline on the left side.
Ali secured the rebound off her block, she swatted a career-high four in the game, but landed out of bounds, giving Creighton another shot to score with eight seconds left on the shot clock. After a timeout, Janning drove into the paint and finished a difficult layup with her left hand, pushing the Creighton lead back to five points.
Down the stretch the Bluejays were unable to completely close the door as the Pirates managed to find buckets while McKenzie Fujan hit 2-of-4 late free throws. Down just three with time winding down Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas) fired an open look from deep on the right wing, but her shot drew back iron.
Aside from Creighton's hot start and solid finish, Tuesday night's matchup was one of the tightest games Seton Hall has played all year. The game featured five ties and 15 lead changes, which tied for the most in a game for the Pirates this year.
The Bluejays scored 12 unanswered to take a 12-4 lead on a Fujan midrange jumper 6:13 into the game, which led to a Seton Hall timeout. Freshman Sidney Cook (Parkton, N.C.) snapped the Creighton run with a close-range jumper, a play that sparked a 15-2 Seton Hall run.
Starting with Cook's jumper the Pirates scored eight points in the blink of an eye, ratcheting up their defensive pressure and coming all the way back to tie the game in a span of just 26 seconds of game time.
Creighton turned the ball over seven times over that big run, leading to 11 Seton Hall points, but the Bluejays adjusted to the pressure and after 10 first half giveaways committed only three turnovers in the final 20 minutes. The Pirates scored 11 points off those seven early giveaways but was unable to generate any more scoring opportunities off extra opportunities over the remainder of the game.
From the 10:24 mark of the first half all the way to 17:11 in the second neither team led by more than four points. Seton Hall erased a five-point Creighton lead with buckets from Richardson-Smith and Janee Johnson (Matthews, N.C.) and it remained a one or two possession game until Janning's clutch shots with time winding down.
Ali led Seton Hall offensively for the first time this season, registering her fourth-consecutive double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Richardson-Smith buried a pair of threes and shot 7-for-13 from the field on the way to 18 points to go along with eight boards and four steals.
Simmons scored in double figures for the 14th-straight game, finishing with 11 points, and also had a game-high seven assists. Johnson scored eight points in the second half to finish in double figures with 10.
Seton Hall returns to Walsh Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon when it hosts first place St. John's University. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
