Pirates Visit Milwaukee To Face No. 14 Marquette

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Seton Hall women's basketball team (11-5, 3-2 BIG EAST) hits the road this weekend for a pair of tough BIG EAST battles. First up is a trip to Milwaukee and the Al McGuire Center for a Friday matinee with No. 14 Marquette (14-3, 5-0 BIG EAST). Tip-off against the preseason co-favorites and current league leaders is set for 12:30 p.m. (ET) and will air on the BIG EAST Digital Network and WSOU radio.

Both teams are coming off successful 2-0 weekends, with the Pirates sweeping a home set against Creighton and Providence while the Golden Eagles notched road wins at Villanova and Georgetown. The Hall's strong weekend lifted the Pirates into a tie for third place in the early BIG EAST table, two games back of first-place Marquette and Butler. MU climbed to No. 14 in the latest AP Top 25 to signify the highest ranking for a BIG EAST squad since 2013-14 reconfiguration.

All-Time vs. Marquette: 13-7, MU
Last Meeting: MU 81, SHU 54 - Feb. 23, 2018
Last Seton Hall win: SHU 93, MU 86 - March 6, 2016 (BIG EAST Quarterfinals)

SETON HALL TIP-INS >>

The Hall is coming off a weekend sweep, improving to 3-2 in BIG EAST play with conference victories over Creighton and Providence at Walsh Gym
Shadeen Samuels is the reigning BIG EAST and Met Basketball Writers Player of the Week
Samuels has recorded three-straight double-doubles and is top-five in the BIG EAST in scoring (17.1 ppg), rebounding (9.4 rpg) and field goal percentage (53.3)
In support of Samuels, Nicole Jimenez (13.4 ppg) and Inja Butina (10.9 ppg) also average double-figures
Jimenez is second in the BIG EAST with 3.3 steals per game and leads the league with 3.2 made 3-pointers per game
The Hall ranks among the national leaders in assists, scoring offense, 3-pointers made, steals, turnovers forced and turnover margin
Marquette is the second ranked opponent the Pirates will face this season after also battling No. 1 UConn

LAST SEASON VS. MARQUETTE >>

The Pirates dropped both legs of their regular season series against the Golden Eagles in 2017-18
The first meeting came at MU's Al McGuire Center on Dec. 30, 2017 and was an offensive extravaganza that saw the Pirates fall by a score of 97-84
Five different Pirates finished in double-figures in the high-scoring affair and The Hall set a program record with 15 made 3-pointers
In the return game in South Orange on Feb. 23, 2018, Marquette jumped ahead early and led wire-to-wire in an 81-54 decision
JaQuan Jackson led The Hall with 13 points and Kaela Hilaire added seven assists in the home defeat

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES >>

Marquette is off to a 14-3 start and is 5-0 in BIG EAST play, ascending to No. 14 in the AP Top 25 and No. 13 in the Coaches Poll this week
MU is a near-perfect 10-1 at home, with the lone loss coming to No. 2 Notre Dame
The Golden Eagles are the top offensive team in the conference, averaging 84.4 points per game on 46.7 shooting from the floor and a 36.8 percent mark from 3-point range
Natisha Hiedeman leads the MU attack with 17.8 points per game, a mark that spikes to a league-leading 23.4 per game in conference play
MU boasts five seniors that all average double-figures

WHAT'S AHEAD >>
The Pirates continue their challenging road swing on Sunday, facing No. 24 DePaul in Chicago.