Pirates Secure Thanksgiving Classic Title

Sunday, November 26

South Orange, N.J.

2:30 p.m.

Seton Hall University

4-1

Jacksonville State

4-2

Jacksonville State

Seton Hall

11/26/2017 6:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score PDF BOX

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall women's basketball team (4-1) took home the 2017 SHU Thanksgiving Classic crown with a convincing 73-54 victory over Jacksonville State (4-2) on Sunday at historic Walsh Gymnasium. Three Pirates scored in double-figures for The Hall, who claimed their 18^th title in the 26^th iteration of the Thanksgiving Classic.

The frontcourt duo of Taylor Brown (Paterson, N.J.) and Shadeen Samuels (Ossining, N.Y.) both had huge days for the Pirates in an extremely physical battle with JSU. Brown led all scorers with 19 points and added eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Samuels notched her first career double-double and tied a career-high with 18 points along with a career-best 11 rebounds. Joining them in double-figures was JaQuan Jackson (Killeen, Texas), who poured in 18 points to secure Thanksgiving Classic MVP honors
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The Pirates used an 8-0 surge in the first quarter to take a 16-10 lead after one, but Jacksonville State kept it close and the score went to the half at 32-28. For the second-straight day in the Thanksgiving Classic the Pirates used an explosive third quarter to pull away, out-scoring the Gamecocks 28-13 in the third frame to go up by as many as 23.

Turning Point
Jacksonville State opened the fourth on an 8-2 run to pull back within 13 at 62-49, but The Hall was able to answer emphatically with a 7-0 run. After a pair of Samuels free throws, Jackson scored five in a row including her third 3-pointer of the night to balloon the lead right back to 20, where it stayed the majority of the final five minutes of regulation.

Head Coach Anthony Bozzella on the Result
"It was a physical game, it was tough and it was the type of game I wanted to see us succeed in. I challenged Taylor Brown before the game and thought she really came through. Shadeen was tremendous today as well, and obviously it was really nice to see Quanny break out. She's a hard worker and played with some toughness and energy that was important to us. I was really impressed with KK, really trying to get everyone involved, definitely looking for others and I'm proud of her for that."

Inside The Numbers

The Pirates shot 44.8 percent from the floor while holding JSU to a 35.7 percent mark
The Hall won the rebounding battle, 40-33, led by 11 from Samuels and eight from Brown
Seton Hall out-scored JSU 34-20 in the paint and 19-11 off turnovers
The Hall forced 21 turnovers and nabbed 14 steals, led by three each from Brown and Deja Winters (Cleveland, Ohio)
Kaela Hilaire (Queens, N.Y.) dished out seven assists and had only one turnover, while Inja Butina (Zagreb, Croatia) added four helpers in her first career start

News and Notes

The Pirates improve to 44-8 all-time in the Thanksgiving Classic, winning their 18^th title
The Hall is now 33-2 in home non-conference games under Bozzella
Brown has scored in double-figures in each of her first five games as a Pirate, with the 19 points on Sunday marking a new career-high
Samuels becomes the third different Pirate this season to notch a double-double, most in the BIG EAST
The Hall has held four-of-five opponents under 40 percent from the floor, going 4-0 in those games

What's Next
The Hall is back at Walsh Gym on Thursday night, hosting Marist for a 7 p.m. tip.

SHU THANKSGIVING CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Kamila Hoskova, Rider (12.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg)
Dominique Claytor, East Carolina (12.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg)
Rayven Pearson, Jacksonville State (10.0 ppg, 9-of-15 FG, 6.5 rpg)
Ki-Ki Patterson, Jacksonville State (13 points in Semifinal vs. ECU)
Taylor Brown, Seton Hall (15.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 11-of-21 FGs)
Kaela Hilaire, Seton Hall (7.0 apg, 3.0 rpg, 14:4 assist-turnover ratio)
JaQuan Jackson, Seton Hall (18.5 ppg, 8-of-16 3-point FGs)

THANKSGIVING CLASSIC MVP
JaQuan Jackson, Seton Hall