RV/RV WBB Hits the Road to Face Providence Sunday
1/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
RV/RV SETON HALL (14-2, 3-1) at PROVIDENCE (4-12, 1-4)
Providence, R.I. (Mullaney Gymnasium) • Sunday, Jan. 11 • 1:00 PM
Broadcast: Friars All-Access (www.friars.com)
Radio: WSOU 89.5 FM (Play-by-play: George Balekji; Color: Ryan Flannery)
Seton Hall Game Notes 
| Providence Game Notes | Live Video |
The Seton Hall University women's basketball team will look to start a new winning streak as the Pirates hit the road to face the Providence Friars on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
The Pirates bounced back from a tough loss at St. John's last week with an impressive offensive attack in a 78-54 win at home over Xavier on Friday. A season-high five players scored in double figures for The Hall, which was led by graduate guard Ka-Deidre Simmons, who finished with 19 points and six assists, surpassing 1,400-career points in the process to move into sixth place all-time at Seton Hall.
The last time Seton Hall saw five players score in double figures was in its 88-79 win over Providence in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament last March in Chicago. The victory gave The Hall a 29-28 all-time lead in the series, which dates back to 1978. The Pirates have won four-straight over the Friars, but are just 8-15 all-time at Providence.
Against Xavier on Friday, Seton Hall was able to get back to doing the things that helped it jump out to the best start in program history, create turnovers and score in transition. The Pirates forced the Musketeers into 22 turnovers, compared to just five for The Hall, which led to 24 points going the other way.
SHU attempted a season-high 85 shots, 21 more than Xavier, and did an outstanding job distributing the basketball. Following up a season-low five assists at St. John's, Seton Hall tallied 17 on Friday night, one off its season high.
Looking at how the Pirates match up with Providence, expect a high scoring game. Seton Hall averaged 86.7 ppg in three games against the Friars last year, including a 90-point outburst in a comeback 90-87 win on the road. Providence is allowing 67.4 ppg this season, although that number is down to 64.6 ppg in conference play.
Three players average double figures for the Friars, who despite going 0-3 against SHU last year, proved to be a very difficult matchup in all three contests. Alexis Harris, who scored 30 points with 13 boards in the game at Providence last season, has started all 16 games and is averaging 12.3 points and 6.8 rebounds.
Tori Rule and Sarah Beal also average double figures, with 13.7 points and 10.2 points per game respectively, but both sat out the loss at Georgetown on Friday. Rule was also problematic last season, erupting for 27 points behind five 3-pointers in the BIG EAST Tournament game between these two squads.
Seton Hall hits the road to face the Providence Friars on Sunday afternoon in Providence, R.I., at 1 p.m. The Pirates are coming off a 78-54 win over Xavier on Friday night, while Providence lost at Georgetown 69-61. 4Seton Hall leads the all-time series with Providence, 29-28, and the Pirates have won four straight in the series including three meetings last season, culminating with an 88-79 victory in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament. 4The Pirates are 8-15 all-time at Providence, and won on the road last year 90-87, coming back from 16 points down in the second half. All three games last year were high scoring, with SHU averaging 86.7 ppg.
SETON HALL STATUS
- In one of the most balanced offensive games of the season, Seton Hall saw a season-high five players score in double figures as the Pirates beat Xavier 78-54 on Friday night.
- Ka-Deidre Simmons led the Pirates with 19 points, also dishing out six assists with five steals.
- After scoring 16 points against Xavier, Tabatha Richardson-Smith now sits just 11 points shy of becoming the 21st player in program history to score 1,000 in a career. She leads The Hall averaging 17.0 ppg this year.
PROVIDENCE STATUS
- Providence was without two of its leading scorers in Sarah Beal, who missed her second game in a row, and Tori Rule, as it lost at Georgetown, 69-61, on Friday night.
- Alexis Harris, who had success against SHU last year, scoring 30 points with 13 rebounds in Providence, is the top scorer that has suited up all 16 games for the Friars, averaging 12.3 points and 6.8 assists per game.
- Providence is 4-12 overall and 1-4 in the BIG EAST. The Friars have lost five straight and seven of their last eight.
- The Friars average 61.1 ppg and score a majority of their points in the paint; Providence is shooting 27.0 percent (55-of-204) from three.
LAST TIME VS. PROVIDENCE
- Seton Hall had five players score in double figures as the Pirates beat Providence, 88-79, in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament last March in Chicago.
- Ka-Deidre Simmons led The Hall with 24 points and three assists. The Pirates forced 17 turnovers and scored 17 points on those extra chances.
- Seton Hall was successfully getting out on the break, scoring 26 fast break points in the win, mitigating the fact the Pirates shot just 3-of-15 from 3-point range.
COUNTDOWN TO 1,000
- Junior Tabatha Richardson-Smith is poised to become the 21st member of the Seton Hall women's basketball 1,000-point club, needing just 11 more points to achieve that feat.
- She currently sits at 989 career points, surpassing 900 with 19 points against Fairfield on Dec. 18.
- Richardson-Smith is averaging 12.4 ppg over her two-plus collegiate seasons, and leads Seton Hall and ranks fourth in the BIG EAST with 17.0 ppg this year.
BLOCK PARK
- Seton Hall swatted 10 shots in the win over Xavier on Jan. 9, which is the most blocks the Pirates have had not only this season but since the 2011-12 season.
- The last time SHU blocked 10 shots in a game was against Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 11, 2011.
- Junior Tiffany Jones led the way for SHU against Xavier, swatting a career-best four shots against the Musketeers.
- So far this year Seton Hall is blocking 5.5 shots per game during conference play, which leads the BIG EAST.
BIG START TO BIG EAST PLAY
- Seton Hall is tied for first place in the BIG EAST standings as the Pirates sit at 3-1 in conference, play. It is the best start in BIG EAST action for The Hall since the 2000-01 season, when the Pirates won four of their first five games.
- SHU can match that hot start with a road win at Providence on Sunday afternoon. The Pirates have not won five of their first six conference games since 1995-96.
SHOWING OFF SOME BALANCE
- A season-high five players scored in double figures for Seton Hall in the 78-54 win over Xavier in Jan. 9.
- The Pirates had seen four players record double figures in nine games prior to that win.
- It was the first time since The Hall beat Providence in last year's BIG EAST Tournament on March 8, that five players scored at least 10 points.
