WBB Hosts Philadelphia in Exhibition Saturday at Noon
11/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Seton Hall University women's basketball fans will get their first chance to see the 2014-15 Pirates in action when the team takes the court against Philadelphia University in exhibition contest on Saturday, Nov. 8, in Walsh Gymnasium at 12 p.m. Admission to the game is free and doors open at 11 a.m.
Despite returning four starters from last year's team that went 20-14 overall and advanced to the WNIT Third Round for the first time in program history, Seton Hall is still a squad with a lot of new faces, as the Pirates feature seven newcomers.
It is the second year in a row Seton Hall is hosting Philadelphia in an exhibition matchup, and last year's game came down to the wire, with The Hall prevailing 87-85 in overtime after erasing a nine-point deficit over the final three minutes of regulation.
The expectation is that graduate point guard Ka-Deidre Simmons (Newark, N.J.) and junior wing Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas) will pace the offense once again. Seton Hall is the only team in the BIG EAST that returns two of the league's top-five offensive threats from last year; Richardson-Smith ranked third in the league with 17.1 ppg and Simmons was right behind in fourth with 16.7 ppg.
Saturday's game also offers a chance to see several of the team's new players in action for the first time. Redshirt junior guard Jordan Mosley (Orlando, Fla.) is ready to make her debut in the backcourt after transferring to SHU from La Salle prior to the 2013-14 season.
The Pirates also welcome a pair of transfers that were granted immediate eligibility from the NCAA in graduate guard Daisha Simmons (Jersey City, N.J.) and sophomore center Lubirdia Gordon (Mount Vernon, N.Y.).
Simmons, who has one year of eligibility remaining after graduating from Alabama last year, averaged 13.8 points per game for the Crimson Tide last year. Gordon, who scored 781 points with 690 rebounds during her prep career at Mount Vernon High School, played last season at West Virginia.
Seton Hall averaged 71.1 ppg as a team last year, the third-highest scoring average for the team in program history, so one of the biggest questions to be answered is will the team be able to improve on those numbers and incorporate new scoring threats. The first chance to assess the progress is Saturday afternoon against Philadelphia.
