Pirates Debut At No. 25 In USA Today Coaches Poll
11/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall women's basketball team has used a 4-0 start to catapult into the national polls, checking in at No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll announced on Tuesday (Nov. 24). The Hall, which was ranked No. 24 in the final Coaches' Poll of the 2014-15 regular season, is making its first appearance in the polls this season.
The Pirates opened the season with a 93-57 rout of Bryant on Nov. 13, then followed with a 77-49 home victory over Big Ten foe and local rival Rutgers. The Pirates then knocked off No. 24 Princeton on Nov. 19, using a 71-64 victory to end the Tigers' 32-game regular season unbeaten streak. The Hall followed that win with a double-digit victory at Saint Joseph's on Nov. 21.
Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas) leads The Hall with 19.3 points per game this year and is shooting 48.4 percent from 3-point range. The senior guard has also added 7.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Tiffany Jones (New York, N.Y.) is the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week and averages 15.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest, ranking third in the league in rebounding. Aleesha Powell (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Shakena Richardson (Neptune, N.J.) both average 11.5 points per game and Richardson is second in the BIG EAST with 6.5 assists per contest.
The Pirates are also the top team receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25, appearing on 17 of the 32 ballots from the AP Top 25 voters. The Hall continues its non-conference schedule on Tuesday night with a trip to UT-Arlington before heading to the 2015 Cancun Challenge to take on NC State and Northern Iowa.
