WBB Hosts #14/16 Bulldogs Sunday at 2 PM
12/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
RV/RV SETON HALL (11-1) vs. #14/16 GEORGIA (12-0)
South Orange, N.J. (Walsh Gymnasium) • Sunday, Dec. 28 • 2:00 PM
Broadcast: BIG EAST Digital Network (Play-by-play: Jon Schaeffer; Color: David Gass)
Radio: WSOU 89.5 FM (Play-by-play: Ryan Flannery; Color: Dustin Feynman)
Seton Hall Game Notes 
| Georgia Game Notes | Fox Sports Go |
The Seton Hall University women's basketball team closes out non-conference play with its toughest test of the season, as the No. 14/16 Georgia Bulldogs roll into Walsh Gymnasium on Sunday, Dec. 28, at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast by the BIG EAST Digital Network and be available via the Fox Sports Go mobile app.
Seton Hall, which as of this week is receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Top-25 polls, has a chance to make a statement win before heading into BIG EAST play. Georgia represents the second ranked team the Pirates will have faced this year, the only other being No. 17 West Virginia back on Nov. 17, a game SHU lost by just two points on the road, 89-87.
The Pirates are unbeaten in Walsh Gym this season, winning 13-straight on their home court dating back to the end of last season, but Georgia is unbeaten overall, sporting an unblemished 12-0 record with four wins coming on the road, including victories at Ohio State and Georgia Tech.
It is easy to see what the key to victory will be on Sunday afternoon, turnovers and protecting the basketball. Seton Hall excels when it is able to force mistakes and get out in transition for easy buckets. The Pirates average 11.9 steals per game, a number that is actually down from the more than 12.5 per game The Hall was averaging prior to last week's games, but they still rank 22nd in the nation in that category. Seton Hall has scored an average of 19.0 ppg off of turnovers this season, and the Pirates are 20th overall nationally in turnover margin.
Georgia looks to do a lot of the same things. The Bulldogs are fourth in Division I in scoring defense, allowing a mere 47.9 ppg, and they are able to do it through limiting possessions. Opponents shoot 34.4 percent from the floor against Georgia, but the Bulldogs rank sixth in the country, averaging 13.4 steals per game.
An area the Pirates can look to take advantage is Georgia's propensity for turnovers. The Bulldogs turn the ball over more than 15 times on average, compared to just 13.1 per game for The Hall. If Seton Hall can keep from turning the ball over, and see its shot attempts creep toward the 70-80 per game that head coach Anthony Bozzella wants to see, the Pirates will be playing their style.
Seton Hall will also look for an edge in 3-point shooting. Georgia has hit just 54 threes this season and shoots 30.7 percent from deep. Compare that to 76 triples for The Hall, and a 33.0 team-shooting percentage from beyond the arc. The Pirates will need their leading 3-point threat in Tabatha Richardson-Smith to bounce back from a five point game in the win over NJIT last Friday and add to her 33 made 3-pointers this year.
In the paint the Pirates will need Bra'Shey Ali and Janee Johnson to keep the Bulldogs off the glass. Georgia averages 42.2 rebounds per game and a +7.7 rebound margin, which could spell trouble for SHU, which has been outrebounded in a majority of its games this season. Ali ranks second in the BIG EAST with 9.5 rebounds per game, and is coming off a 13 points, 14 rebound performance against NJIT that landed her a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the first time in her career.
SETON HALL STATUS
- Seton Hall came out of a nine-day break for finals to pick up wins over Fairfield and NJIT at home late last week, and run its winning streak to double digits in the process.
- Graduate Daisha Simmons led three Pirates in double figures with 22 points in the win over NJIT; she has now scored in double figures in 11-straight games.
- Redshirt-junior Bra'Shey Ali scored 13 points with 14 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season in the win over the Highlanders, leading to her being named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
GEORGIA STATUS
- Georgia has gotten off to an impressive start as one of the seven remaining undefeated teams in Division I with a 12-0 record. After beating then No. 16 Michigan State on Dec. 7, the Bulldogs were off for 13 days before returning to beat Furman and Belmont last week.
- The Bulldogs are an elite defensive team, ranking fourth in the nation in scoring defense (47.9 ppg) and sixth in steals (13.4 spg). Georgia has not allowed more than 61 points to any opponent this season.
- Junior Shacobia Barbee leads the team in scoring at 13.9 ppg, and also averages 7.1 rebounds and 2.9 steals per contest. Tiaria Griffin also scores in double figures with 10.8 ppg.
SETON HALL VS. THE SEC
- Seton Hall is 6-6 all-time against current members of the SEC.
- The Pirates have faced nine different SEC teams, so Georgia will be the 10th team from the conference SHU has played in its history.
- The last time Seton Hall faced a team from the SEC was last season, when it played at No. 21/17 South Carolina on Nov. 17, a contest the Gamecocks won 88-67.
- So far in 2014-15, the BIG EAST has posted a 3-4 overall record against the SEC as a conference.
LONGEST WINNING STREAK IN TWO DECADES
- With its 74-62 victory over NJIT on Dec. 19, Seton Hall ran its current winning streak to 10 games in a row, matching the longest for The Hall since the 1994-95 season.
- Against Georgia, Seton Hall will be looking to win its 11th straight for the first time since an era that predates BIG EAST women's basketball, the 1980-81 season.
- In 1980-81, Seton Hall won 12 games in a row for the second time in as many years, a mark that still stands as the longest win streak in program history.
PIRATES PLAYING PRETTY WELL IN WALSH
- The Pirates also boast a pretty healthy home winning streak, taking 13 in a row in Walsh Gym dating back to last season.
- That 13-game home winning streak is the second-longest in program history, trailing only the 20-game home winning streak that spanned from 1993-95.
- It is the second 10-plus game home winning streak for The Hall since Tony Bozzella took over the program. Under Bozzella, the Pirates are 23-5 at home, including a 8-0 mark this season.
SIMMONS CLOSING IN ON SECOND IN ASSISTS
- Entering Sunday's game against Georgia, Ka-Deidre Simmons sits poised to move past a pair of Pirate all-time greats and take over second place in program history in assists.
- Simmons currently ranks fourth in SHU history with 437 assists, but needs just four more to tie Jodi Brooks (`90-'94) and Phyllis Mangina (`77-'81) for second place.
- With six assists in the win over NJIT last week, Simmons closed within 97 assists of surpassing Kathy O'Reilly (`85-'89) for the top spot in SHU history.
Bra'Shey Ali NAMED TO FIRST HONOR ROLL
- Forward Bra'Shey Ali was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the first time in her career on Dec. 22.
- In wins over Fairfield and NJIT in the week prior, Ali averaged a double-double with 12.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, and had 13 points and 14 boards in the win over NJIT on Dec. 19.
- Ali leads Seton Hall and ranks 45th in the country with four double-doubles this season. Her 9.5 rebounds per game are second in the BIG EAST.
JONES MAKES SETON HALL DEBUT
- Junior forward Tiffany Jones made her Seton Hall debut in the win over NJIT on Dec. 19, coming off the bench to score five points with rebounds with a blocked shot and a steal in 14 minutes.
- Jones transferred to SHU after playing at ASA junior college during the 2012-13 season.
- The New York native was the 2011 New York State Class AA Co-Player of the Year.
