Pirates Visit St. John's For Regular Season Finale

QUEENS, N.Y. - A fitting finale.

The Seton Hall women's basketball team (14-14, 6-11 BIG EAST) will close conference action and the regular season on Sunday afternoon when it makes the short trek to Queens to face rival St. John's (14-14, 7-10 BIG EAST). Both teams are jockeying for position in the final BIG EAST standings and seeding in the upcoming BIG EAST Tournament. Depending on results around the league, the Pirates could finish anywhere from sixth to ninth in the final table and still have an outside shot at a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

The Hall took the first leg of the regular season series against the Red Storm way back in 2018, topping St. John's by a score of 77-67 in the league opener back on Dec. 30. A win for Seton Hall would even its league record with St. John's and give the Pirates a crucial tiebreaker. The two local rivals have split the regular season series in each of the last two campaigns, with Seton Hall looking for its first win at Carnesecca Arena since 2003. In the 13 meetings between Seton Hall and St. John's since Anthony Bozzella arrived at The Hall in 2013-14, all but three contests have been decided by 10 points or fewer.

SETON HALL TIP-INS

The Pirates conclude a three-game road swing and the regular season on Sunday, capping the league play just as it began against rival St. John's
The Hall took the first installment of the regular season series against its metro neighbor back on Dec. 30
Inja Butina is coming off a career-high 23 points and a season-high eight assists on Sunday at Villanova
Shadeen Samuels continues to lead the BIG EAST in scoring both in overall games and in league play
Samuels (18.0 ppg), Nicole Jimenez (12.5 ppg), Butina (12.4 ppg) and Desiree Elmore (10.3 ppg) all average double-figures for the Pirates
The Hall is third in the BIG EAST in scoring offense and ranks top-20 nationally in assists per game

LAST GAME RECAP >>
The Hall made a spirited late rally but ultimately fell short at Villanova on Sunday.

Villanova 73, Seton Hall 68 - Feb. 24, 2019
The Pirates took an early 9-5 lead, but then saw Villanova hit seven of its first 11 from 3-point range to build a 14-point first half advantage

The Hall came out aggressive in the third quarter and got within eight early in the period
Villanova answered and pushed its lead to as many as 21 in the fourth quarter, but the Pirates ended the game on a furious 20-5 run to get back within two possessions late
Inja Butina led The Hall with a career-high 23 points and dished out a season-best eight assists
Shadeen Samuels also had a big game on the offensive end with 18 points, connecting on 7-of-9 from the field
Despite the setback the Pirates finished +14 on the glass, getting a game-high 10 rebounds from Selena Philoxy

All-Time vs. the Red Storm: 32-45, St. John's
Last Meeting: SHU 77, STJ 67 - Dec. 30, 2018
First Meeting: STJ 70, SHU 56 - Jan. 21, 1976

LAST MEETING CAPSULE >>

The Pirates opened conference play against St. John's in the final game of 2018, coming away with a 10-point victory
The Hall trailed by a point at halftime, but used a big second half to rally for the win
Inja Butina led a balanced offensive effort with 19 points and five assists, one of four Pirates to finish in double-figures
Nicole Jimenez added 16 points while Shadeen Samuels and Desiree Elmore finished with 15 and 12, respectively
Selena Philoxy grabbed a then-career high 12 rebounds to lead a +5 effort for the Pirates on the glass
The Pirates forced 19 Red Storm turnovers by way of 14 steals, getting a combined nine swipes from Butina and Jimenez

RED STORM REPORT >>

St. John's hosts Seton Hall with a 14-14 overall record and a 7-10 mark in league play, one game up on the Pirates in the league standings
Qadashah Hoppie leads four Red Storm players in double-figures in overall scoring with 11.5 points per game, while Tiana England leads SJU with 12.0 per game in league action
England also paces the BIG EAST with 5.7 assists per game
As a team, St. John's ranks in the top half of the BIG EAST in scoring defense, field goal percentage, blocked shots and rebounding margin

WHAT'S AHEAD
The Pirates will return to play at the BIG EAST Tournament on either March 9 or 10 depending on final seeding.