Samuels, Pirates Tame Leopards, 74-50

Friday, December 20

South Orange, N.J.

12:00 PM

Seton Hall University

7-4,0-0Big East

Lafayette

4-5,0-0Patriot

Lafayette

Seton Hall

Photo by: Truelove Photography

12/20/2019 3:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score HOME INFO BOX SCORE

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Senior Shadeen Samuels (Ossining, N.Y.) led four Pirates to score in double-figures as the Seton Hall women's basketball team ran away with a 74-50 victory over Lafayette in their non-conference finale on Friday.

Samuels had a dominant effort, erupting for a game-high 19 points to go with eight rebounds, four assists and four steals in only 23 minutes of action. Barbara Johnson (Toronto, Ontario), Desiree Elmore (Hartford, Conn.) and Femi Funeus (Plantation, Fla.), who played in her first game of the season since returning from injury, all also reached double-figures in scoring.

"It was great having Femi back on the court again," said Head Coach Anthony Bozzella. "I can't say enough about the effort our athletic training staff put forth for her. From Deja to Tony, Mercedes to Nick and Kaitlin … everyone down there played a role in her rehabilitation. They're pros-pros and we're so fortunate to have them at Seton Hall."

The Pirates close the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 7-4 record, which includes victories in three of their last four games.

The Story:
Seton Hall took control from the start, opening the game on a 9-2 run. A jumper by Lafayette's Alexis Santarelli cut the Pirates' lead to 11-7, but The Hall responded by finishing the quarter with a 12-3 run. A three-pointer in transition by Mya Jackson (Wilmington, Ohio) with 19 seconds left gave the Pirates a 23-10 advantage after one quarter.

The Pirates opened the second quarter with the first five points, stretching their run to 17-3. Late in the quarter, Funeus made her season debut and scored six straight points for The Hall. The Hall, firmly in control, took a 34-18 lead into the halftime break.

Samuels scored the first seven points of the third quarter and the Pirates never looked back. Leading 47-27, The Hall went on a 10-0 burst to put the game out of reach.

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 27-for-66 (40.9%) from the floor for the game, while Lafayette was 20-for-50 (40.0%). The Hall was 7-for-28 (25.0%) from three-point range, while the Leopards were 7-for-16 (43.8%).
Samuels scored a game-high 19 points on an efficient 7-for-8 shooting from the floor, which included 3-for-4 from three-point range. She also had eight rebounds, four assists and four steals in only 23 minutes.
The Hall out-rebounded Lafayette, 40-to-31, which included an 18-to-9 advantage on the offensive boards and a 16-to-5 lead in second-chance points.
Johnson finished with 13 points and drilled three trifectas. She also had three assists and two steals.
Seton Hall was 13-for-16 (81.3%) from the free-throw line, while Lafayette was only 3-for-6 (50.0%).
Elmore finished with 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and three steals off the bench.
Seton Hall forced 28 turnovers, while Lafayette only forced 18.
Funeus scored 10 points in her season debut on 3-for-4 shooting from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the free-throw line.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall completes non-conference play with a record of 7-4, while Lafayette falls to 4-5.
The Pirates are now 9-3 all-time against Lafayette and have won eight straight in the series.
Seton Hall improves to 78-27 in home games under Bozzella, with a 45-6 mark in home non-league games.
With eight rebounds today, Samuels became the 20^th player in Seton Hall history to surpass 600 for her career.
Samuels scored in double-figures for the fifth time this season and the 39^th time of her career, most among Seton Hall active players.
Seton Hall improves to a perfect 7-0 when connecting on more field goals than its opponent. It's now 6-1 when it has a higher field goal percentage.
Seton Hall dressed 15 players for the first time this season. The Pirates are nearly fully healthy just as they enter BIG EAST play.

Up Next:
With all non-conference games now behind them, the Pirates will return to action on Sunday, December 29 to open the BIG EAST portion of their schedule in Indianapolis against Butler. The game will be a BIG EAST Digital Network broadcast, and of course will be provided on the radio by 89.5 FM WSOU and wsou.net. Tip-time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.