Undermanned Pirates Fall to Albany, 71-66

Sunday, December 13

South Orange, N.J.

2:00 PM

Seton Hall University

2-1,0-0Big East

Albany

1-1,0-0America East

Albany (NY)

Seton Hall

12/13/2020 5:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score HOME BOX SCORE (.pdf)

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Playing without two starters and a key reserve, the Seton Hall women's basketball team dropped a tough, back-and-forth affair with Albany, 71-66, on Sunday in Walsh Gymnasium.

Super sophomores Mya Jackson (Wilmington, Ohio) and Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) provided an offensive spark, and junior Alexia Allesch (Basking Ridge, N.J.) notched her first career double-double, but The Hall couldn't survive a tough shooting night and lack of depth. The Hall was without starters Femi Funeus, Desiree Elmore and bench sparkplug Jasmine Smith.

Jackson tallied a team-high 22 points on the strength of four made three-pointers, to go with three assists and two steals. Park-Lane had 15 points and a team-best five assists. Allesch notched career-highs of 13 points and 10 rebounds to go with three blocks and two steals in another strong all-around performance. All three Pirates played at least 38 minutes.

The Story:
Albany came out of the gates on fire from the field and used an early 8-0 run to grab a 13-5 advantage. In all, the Great Danes were 9-for-11 (.818) from the field in the opening frame and took a 19-15 lead into the second quarter.

The Hall picked up the offensive pace in the second quarter, and a three-pointer by Allesch tied the score at 23, capping an 8-2 burst. A minute and a half later, Allesch scored again from the low post to give the Pirates their first lead of the game, 27-26, with 5:20 left before halftime. Seton Hall shot only 38.2% (13-for-34) from the field in the first 20 minutes, compared to 56.0% (14-for-25) for the Great Danes, still, the Pirates took a 32-31 lead into the locker room.

Trailing 41-37, Seton Hall scored six straight and a three-pointer by Jackson put it back on top, 44-41, with 1:48 left to play in the third quarter.

Leading 47-44, Albany scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to take a commanding 54-47 advantage with 6:40 remaining in the game. The Hall attempted a late charge, and a layup by freshman McKenna Minter (Lincoln, Neb.) cut its deficit to just two points, 54-52, with 5:20 to go, but the Pirates simply couldn't find the equalizer. Twice in the final 20 seconds Seton Hall made it a one-possession game, but Albany held on for a 71-66 victory.

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 25-for-67 (37.3%) from the floor for the game, while Albany was 27-for-51 (52.9%). The Hall was 10-for-30 (33.3%) from three-point range, while the Great Danes were 7-for-17 (41.2%).
Jackson scored a team-high 22 points on 9-for-20 shooting and was 4-for-9 from three-point range. She also had three assists, two rebounds and two steals.
Albany out-rebounded The Hall, 36-to-33, but the Pirates had a huge edge on the offensive glass, 18-to-9, which they turned into 23 second chance points, compared to just nine for the Great Danes.
Park-Lane scored 15 points and dished out a team-best five assists.
Seton Hall was 6-for-13 (46.2%) from the free-throw line, while Albany was a perfect 10-for-10 (100.0%).
Allesch recorded her first career double-double with career-highs of 13 points and 10 rebounds to go with three blocks and two steals.
Seton Hall forced 20 turnovers, while Albany forced 11.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall falls to 2-1 on the young season with the loss, while Albany improves to 1-1.
This was only the sixth loss to a non-conference opponent in 54 games during the Anthony Bozzella era in Walsh Gym.
This was the first-ever meeting between Seton Hall and Albany.
Park-Lane has now scored in double-figures in five straight games dating back to last season.
Jackson has reached at least 20 points in two of three games this season and four times now in her career.
Allesch's double-double is the first of her career and the first of any Pirate so far this season.
Today's game marked the return of head coach Anthony Bozzella to the court after his battle with COVID-19.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Tuesday, December 15 when it opens BIG EAST play against No. 3 Connecticut at Walsh Gymnasium. The game will be televised on SNY, and of course will be provided on the radio by 89.5 FM WSOU and wsou.net. Tip-time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.