Pirates Open NCAA Tournament On Saturday Against Duquesne
3/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| Game 32 // 2016 NCAA Tournament // First Round | |
| No. 8 Seton Hall (23-8, 12-6 BIG EAST) vs. No. 9 Duqesne (27-5, 13-3 Atlantic-10) | |
| Date | Saturday, March 19 // 1:30 p.m (ET) |
| Location | Gampel Pavilion (10,167) // Storrs, Conn. |
| Watch | ESPN2 (Dave O'Brien, Doris Burke) // WatchESPN |
| Links | | Radio (WSOU, 89.5 FM) | @SHUWBB on Twitter | Tournament Central | Host Info |
| Notes | Media Central | Seton Hall Notes  | Duquesne Notes |
STORRS, Conn. -- The Seton Hall women's basketball team kicks off play in the 2016 NCAA Tournament with first round action on Saturday, March 19. The eight-seed Pirates will take on nine-seed Duquesne in the Bridgeport Regional at UConn's Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2 and the ESPN app with Dave O'Brien and Doris Burke on the call.
The Pirates advanced to their second-straight NCAA Tournament after going 23-8 in the regular season, including a 12-6 mark in BIG EAST play to finish tied for second in the conference. The Hall boasts three All-Conference performers in the backcourt, with Unanimous First Team selection Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas) joining Honorable Mention All-Conference guards Aleesha Powell (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Shakena Richardson (Neptune, N.J.).
Richardson-Smith is second in the BIG EAST in scoring with 18.9 points per game and won the league's scoring title with 21.7 per game in conference play. Tiffany Jones (New York, N.Y.) leads the BIG EAST with 8.7 rebounds per game, while Richardson ranks second in the league with 5.6 assists per night.
TOURNAMENT TIME
• The Pirates are making their fourth all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, with the 2016 Big Dance joining 2015, 1995 and 1994
• The Pirates are 3-3 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 1994 and the second round in 1995
• Last season the Pirates were the No. 9 seed in the Albany region and fell, 79-66, to No. 8 Rutgers
• Richardson-Smith led SHU with 18 points in the setback while Jones added 17 and seven rebounds
• The Pirates are the first BIG EAST team since realignment to send both its men's and women's programs to the NCAA Tournament in the same season
• Anthony Bozzella is making his third NCAA appearance, also taking LIU Brooklyn in 2001
ALL-TIME WITH THE DUKES
The Pirates have never faced Duquesne, with the Dukes marking the fifth first-time opponent The Hall will face this year
• Seton Hall is 4-0 this year against first-time foes, with victories over Bryant, UT-Arlington, Northern Iowa and Liberty
• The Pirates have faced 10 other members of the Atlantic-10 conference, with a 47-22 record all-time and wins over Fordham and Saint Joseph's this year
SETON HALL TIP-INS
- The Hall finished tied for second in the BIG EAST after being selected fifth in the preseason
- The Pirates are making their second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance under third-year head coach Anthony Bozzella
- Richardson-Smith is second in the BIG EAST in scoring in overall games (18.9 ppg) and led the league in conference games (21.7) - she became the all-time leading scorer in program history on Feb. 14 vs. Villanova
- SHU has at least 20 wins for the third-straight year under Anthony Bozzella - marking only the second time in SHU history (1977-81)
DUQUESNE NOTES
• The Dukes enter the NCAA Tournament with a 27-5 record after winning the Atlantic-10 regular season title with a 13-3 league record
• Duquesne reached the title game of the A-10 Championship before falling to George Washington
• April Robinson leads DU with 14.9 points and 6.4 assists per game, adding 5.9 rebounds per contest
• DevaNyar Workman is second on the squad with 13.9 points per game and tops the the Dukes with 9.3 rebounds per night
• The Dukes have four scorers in double-figures, with Amadea Szamosi (11.6) and Kadri-Ann Lass (11.0) joining Robinson and Workman
Should The Hall advance, the Pirates will face the winner of No. 1 UConn and No. 16 Robert Morris on Monday, March 21 in Storrs.
