Pirates Explode Past Wagner, 95-40, In Opener

Tuesday, November 6

South Orange, N.J.

2 p.m.

Seton Hall University

1-0

Wagner

0-1

Wagner

Seton Hall

11/6/2018 5:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score BOX (PDF)INFO

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall women's basketball team (1-0) cruised to a 95-40 rout over Wagner (0-1) in the season opener on Tuesday afternoon at Walsh Gym. Victoria Cardaci (Holmdel, N.J.) led the offensive onslaught with a game-high 21 points, tying the program record for 3-pointers in a game with seven.

Shadeen Samuels (Ossining, N.Y.) also had a big game for the Pirates as one of four players in double-figures, finishing with 18 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Inja Butina (Zagreb, Croatia) and Desiree Elmore (Hartford, Conn.) added 12 points apiece to round out the double-digit scorers.

How it Happened
After Wagner opened the game with back-to-back 3-pointers, the Pirates responded emphatically with a huge 15-0 run and went up 15-9 before the game's first media stoppage. Cardaci knocked down two 3-pointers during the run and Samuels added four points. The Pirates kept up the pressure and built a 27-17 lead after a quarter. The second frame was all Pirates, as The Hall swelled its lead to 52-27 at the halftime break.

The Pirates came out in the second half with a renewed defensive intensity, holding Wagner to only 13 total points in the third and fourth quarters and out-scoring the Seahawks 43-13 over the final 20 minutes of action.

We've got all the highlights you could need from today's dominant victory over Wagner! #HALLin | #HALLdrip pic.twitter.com/IBBToZvyOZ
— Seton Hall WBB (@SHUWBB) November 6, 2018

Inside The Numbers

The Pirates shot 50.0 percent (33-of-66) from the field and held Wagner to a 28.8 percent (15-52) mark
The Hall totaled 13 made 3-pointers, with Butina and Kaity Healy (Freehold, N.J.) each adding two along with Cardaci's seven triples
Seton Hall dominated every specialty stat: points in the paint (38-14), points off turnovers (41-15), fast break points (17-0) and bench points (36-8)
Elmore's 12 points came on a crisp 4-for-5 shooting effort, as the sophomore also went 4-4 from the foul line
The Pirates generated 16 steals, led by six from Nicole Jimenez (Miami, Fla.) and three for Samuels
The Hall finished with a 39-33 edge on the glass thanks to eight rebounds apiece from Whitney Howell (Lake Worth, Fla.) and Samuels

News and Notes

The Pirates improve to 8-2 all-time against Wagner after the first meeting since 2013
The win was Anthony Bozzella's 100^th at The Hall in the first game of his sixth season, making him the fastest coach to hit that mark in program history
The Pirates are now 36-10 in season openers and 6-0 under Bozzella
The 95 points scored by the Pirates mark the most in a season opener since matching that mark in the 1993-94 lid-lifter, a 95-59 victory over Monmouth
Cardaci tied the Seton Hall single-game record with seven 3-pointers, the fourth player to hit that mark in program history and first since Tabatha Richardson-Smith on Nov. 17, 2014 at West Virginia
Femi Funeus (Plantation, Fla.) scored eight points on 4-of-4 shooting in her first collegiate action, while fellow freshmen Howell got the start and scored five points with eight rebounds

What's Next
The Pirates are back at home this weekend, hosting the Seton Hall Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday and Sunday. The Hall will face Kennesaw State and UTSA in fixed matchups.