Pirates Open Homestand Against Lafayette Sunday
12/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
NR/RV SETON HALL (7-1) vs. LAFAYETTE (5-2)
South Orange, N.J. (Walsh Gymnasium) • Sunday, Dec. 7 • 2:00 PM
Broadcast: Pirate Sports Network (Play-by-play: Jon Schaeffer)
Radio: 89.5 FM WSOU (Play-by-play: Clayton Collier; Color: Hill Boyce)
Seton Hall Game Notes 
| Lafayette Game Notes | Live Video |
The Seton Hall University women's basketball team begins a six-game home stand that will last the rest of the month of December when it hosts Lafayette College on Sunday afternoon in Walsh Gym.
The Pirates have won six in a row, the longest winning streak for the program since December 2008, and are coming off a tough 56-43 win at Fordham on Friday night. Seton Hall succeeded in two difficult road tests in a span of three days, winning at Creighton in Omaha, Neb., on Wednesday.
The Fordham game represented a unique test for The Hall. The Rams ranked in the top-15 nationally in defensive scoring, and Seton Hall did score a season-low 56 points, hitting a just three 3-pointers. But the Pirates found a way to win, leading by as many as 16 points in the second half thanks to strong guard play.
However, the Pirates saw their ongoing rebounding difficulties continue. Seton Hall allowed Fordham to grab 53 rebounds, 20 on the offensive end, facing a -17 rebounding deficit in the win. The Pirates have been outrebounded six times in eight games, losing the second-chance scoring battle five times.
Lafayette is struggling in the same manner, as the Leopards have been outrebounded by 4.6 boards per contest despite being a front-court heavy squad. The Leopards are led by Preseason All-Patriot league forward Emily Homan, who is averaging 19.0 ppg, and sophomore Ashley Lutz leads the team on the glass averaging 8.4 rebounds per game. Homan has scored in double figures in all seven games for Lafayette while Lutz has posted a double-double in the last two contests.
If Seton Hall can contain Homan and Lutz and limit Lafayette's second chance opportunities, the Pirates will look to their guards to make the difference on Sunday. Ka-Deidre Simmons and Daisha Simmons led the team with 15 and 14 points respectively at Fordham on Friday night, and although Tabatha Richardson-Smith saw her three-game double-digit scoring streak come to an end, she had eight key first-half points in a 25-6 run that gave Seton Hall a double-digit halftime lead against the Rams.
Lafayette is one of the more experienced teams Seton Hall has faced so far this season. The Leopards start four upperclassmen and have utilized the same starting lineup in all seven games.
SETON HALL STATUS
- Seton Hall ran its current winning streak to six in a row with a difficult 56-43 victory at Fordham on Friday night. After trailing by nine points early in the game, SHU ended the first half on a 25-6 run to take a 10-point lead into the break, and the Pirates would not trail again.
- The 56 points scored at Fordham represent a season-low for Seton Hall, but Fordham prides itself on defense, as the Rams entered the game ranked No. 15 in the country in scoring defense, allowing 51.7 ppg.
- Seton Hall has won six games in a row for the first time since 2008 and the Pirates enter Sunday's game the winner of nine straight contests played in Walsh Gym dating back to last season.
LAFAYETTE'S STATUS
- Lafayette has won back-to-back games and the Leopards are coming off a 73-51 win at St. Francis (N.Y.) on Friday night. Lafayette is off to a 5-2 start for the second year in a row, but the Leopards finished just 14-16 overall last season, and they were 8-10 in the Patriot League.
- The Leopards have tested themselves recently, playing at Louisville, a 102-61 loss, and against Pennsylvania, a game they bounced back to win 60-57 at home.
- Emily Homan, who was named Preseason All-Patriot League after picking up Second-Team honors last season, has lived up to her preseason hype, leading Lafayette in scoring at 19.0 ppg.
SETON HALL VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
- Seton Hall is 18-5 all-time against current members of the Patriot League, including a 7-3 all-time record against Lafayette.
- The Pirates' last meeting against a foe from the Patriot League came just last season, when Seton Hall defeated American, 63-60, on March 20, in the first round of the WNIT.
- The Pirates have won their last seven matchups against teams out of the Patriot League.
RUN THAT WIN STREAK TO SIX
- With its 56-43 victory at Fordham on Dec. 5, Seton Hall ran its current winning streak to six games in a row, the longest such streak for SHU in nearly six years.
- The last time the Pirates won six-straight games was in December 2008, when The Hall ran its streak to seven in a row.
- The Pirates also boast a pretty healthy home winning streak, taking nine in a row in Walsh Gym dating back to last season.
REBOUNDING WOES
- Seton Hall boasted a +2.5 rebounding margin last season, but so far this year the Pirates have struggled when it comes to cleaning up the glass.
- The Pirates have been outrbounded in six of their eight games so far, allowing Fordham to record a season high 53 rebounds on Dec. 5, with the Rams finishing +17 on the boards.
- Seton Hall has failed to reach double digits in offensive rebounds in back-to-back games and the Pirates have lost the second-chance scoring battle five times this year.
TOP-10 AND RISING FAST
- Scoring 15 points at Fordham on Dec. 5, graduate point guard Ka-Deidre Simmons moved into ninth-place all-time in Seton Hall history with 1,285 points.
- Simmons needs just 15 points to move past Dawn Johnson (`91-'95) for the eighth spot, and once she reaches 1,300 points, she would be 61 points out of seventh place.
- Simmons is averaging a career-best 18.3 ppg so far this season, which leads Seton Hall and ranks second in the BIG EAST.
