Seton Hall University
Fordham
Pirates Win at Fordham 56-43
12/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BRONX, N.Y. - Ka-Deidre Simmons (Newark, N.J.) led three Pirates in double figures with 15 points and the Seton Hall University women's basketball team ran its current win streak to six with a 56-43 victory at Fordham on Friday night in Rose Hill Gym.
Although Seton Hall (7-1) eventually pulled away for a double-digit win, the Pirates led by just four points with four minutes to play in the second half after leading by as many as 16 earlier in the period. Bra'Shey Ali (Plainfield, N.J.) scored in the paint at 16:46 to make it 39-23, but from there the SHU offense hit a rough patch, producing just one field goal over the next nine minutes.
Fordham (4-4), an elite defensive squad that ranked No. 15 in the nation in scoring defense, yielding just 51.7 ppg, heading into the game, held the Pirates to just 1-for-14 from the field during that cold streak, with Simmons converting a difficult layup in transition as she was fouled in the middle of that stretch, ending a string of eight-straight misses for The Hall.
That lead would be whittled all the down to 47-43 as Hannah Missry hit a long 3-pointer with four minutes to play, but that shot represented the last points the Rams would score. Fordham missed its final five field goal attempts and the Pirates closed out the game on a 9-0 run.
The Pirates, who entered the game averaging 76.6 ppg, had their streak of six-straight games scoring at least 75 points, come to an end, but SHU held Fordham to 28.8 percent (19-for-66) shooting and no more than 22 points in either half.
Daisha Simmons (Jersey City, N.J.) finished with 14 points, going 6-for-6 at the line, and Ali also scored in double figures with 10 points, narrowly missing out on a double-double with a team-high nine boards.
Seton Hall overcame a slow start to the first half to eventually pull away for a 10-point lead at the break, finishing the first period on a 25-6 run that was bookended by Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas) 3-pointers.
The Pirates missed their first eight shots from the field and trailed by as many as nine points, 15-6, after Tiffany Ruffin nailed a 3-pointer for the Rams at 11:25. However, from there Fordham went ice cold from the field, missing 14 straight shots and hitting only three buckets over the final 11:25.
Richardson-Smith answered Ruffin's three with one of her own, sparking what would turn into a run of 14 unanswered for Seton Hall over the next six minutes. Jordan Mosley (Orlando, Fla.) hit a triple from the wing to pull the Pirates within one, and then Richardson-Smith drove through the lane and banked in a runner as the shot clock expired at 7:02 to give the Pirates their first lead of the game, 16-15.
Emily Tapio finally brought Fordham's field goal drought to an end with an offensive rebound and layup at 4:57, but there would be no shift in momentum as Ali got her offensive game going for The Hall, with three field goals over 2:30 to make it 28-21.
After another defensive stop Seton Hall played for the last shot of the half and Richardson-Smith drained a dagger from the top of the key as time expired to push the Pirates' advantage to double digits.
Tapio was the only player to score in double figures for Fordham, finishing with 17 points.
Seton Hall begins a six-game home stand this Sunday afternoon with the Pirates host Lafayette in Walsh Gym. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
