Pirates Continue Homestand With Xavier on Friday

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Halfway home.

The Seton Hall women's basketball team (13-7, 5-4) has completed the first leg of its 18-game BIG EAST schedule and is in prime position in the current batch of conference standings. The Hall, which was projected to finish eighth in the league's preseason poll, currently sits in fourth place in the BIG EAST after playing every team once. The Hall is only a game back of Butler and DePaul who share second place in the current table.

The Pirates kick off the second half on Friday night, continuing a season-long four-game homestand when they play host to Xavier (10-10, 1-8 BIG EAST) at Walsh Gym. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on the BIG EAST Digital Network and FOX Sports app with Sean Saint Jacques and Kim Adams on the call. As always, the contest will be available over the air on WSOU, 89.5 FM and WSOU.net.

Friday is "Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer" Night, and the Pirates and Musketeers will both wear gold laces on their sneakers to help raise awareness for the Go 4 The Goal Foundation.

All-Time vs. the Musketeers: 10-2, Seton Hall
Last Meeting: XU 63, SHU 62 (OT) - Jan. 6, 2019

SETON HALL TIP-INS

The Pirates closed the first half of BIG EAST Play with a win on Sunday, downing Georgetown in a wire-to-wire 13-point victory
At the turn of the league schedule, The Hall sits at fourth place in the conference standings and a game out of second
Shadeen Samuels is the reigning BIG EAST and MBWA Player of the Week
Samuels is averaging 20.7 points and 9.9 rebounds during conference play and ranks top-five in the league in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage
As a team the Pirates are among the national leaders in assists per game, steals per game, turnover margin and 3-pointers made
Nicole Jimenez (12.7 ppg) and Inja Butina (11.4 ppg) join Samuels in averaging double-figures, while Selena Philoxy has surged to seventh in the league with 7.5 rebound per game

LAST TIME OUT - Seton Hall 76, Georgetown 63 - Jan. 27, 2019

The Hall used a huge day from Samuels and an efficient shooting day from 3-point range to bounce back with a wire-to-wire win over the Hoyas
Samuels led all scorers with 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting, going 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 7-for-7 from the line
As a team the Pirates were 12-of-26 from 3-point range, marking the most triples they have hit in a game during conference action this season
Nicole Jimenez (17 points) and Butina (13 points) joined Samuels in double-figure scoring, while Selena Philoxy grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds
The Pirates dominated in hustle stats, out-scoring the Hoyas 10-4 in second chance points, 22-10 in the paint, 22-9 off turnovers and 26-11 on the fast break

BATTLING XAVIER

The Hall dropped a nailbiter in the first meeting with Xavier this season, falling 63-62 in overtime back on Jan. 6
The Pirates trailed through the majority of regulation before a game-tying 3-pointer from Kaity Healy in the final moments of the fourth quarter to level the contest and force overtime
In the extra frame the Pirates took their first lead of the day thanks to a pair of Samuels free throws with 3.0 seconds left, but saw Xavier hit a game-winning floater with 1.2 ticks to play on the ensuing trip
Samuels finished with a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double in the setback and Selena Philoxy grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds
Overall, the Pirates are 10-2 against Xavier since XU joined the league in 2013-14 and 5-0 at home in the series

SCOUTING THE MUSKETEERS

Xavier visits Walsh Gym with a 10-10 overall record and a 1-8 mark in BIG EAST play
The Musketeers most recently fell in overtime to DePaul
A'riana Gray is the lone player in the BIG EAST to average a double-double, currently posting 13.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game
Na'Teshia Owens averages 12.6 points per game as the second scorer in double-figures for Xavier

WHAT'S AHEAD
The Hall concludes its homestand on Sunday against Butler at 1 p.m.