Samuels, Lewis Fuel Pirates to Senior Day Win, 66-53

Sunday, March 1

South Orange, N.J.

1:00 PM

Seton Hall University

18-11,11-7Big East

Butler

19-10,11-7Big East

Butler

Seton Hall

Samuels, Lewis Fuel Pirates to Senior Day Win, 66-53

3/1/2020 5:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score HOME INFO BOX SCORE (.pdf)

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Seniors Shadeen Samuels (Ossining, N.Y.) and Alexis Lewis (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) combined for 43 points as the Seton Hall women's basketball team defeated Butler, 66-53, on Senior Day Sunday.

The wire-to-wire victory provides The Hall with a season sweep of Butler and enables it to avoid play on the first day of the BIG EAST Championship. Seton Hall has earned the No. 4 seed and face No. 5 seeded Butler in a rematch on Saturday in the tournament quarterfinals in Chicago.

Samuels had a game-high 23 points to go with eight rebounds and two steals, while Lewis erupted for 20 points, eight rebounds and four steals.

Junior Desiree Elmore (Hartford, Conn.) nearly had a double-double, settling with 10 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The Story:
After a defensive first quarter, Alexia Allesch (Basking Ridge, N.J.) drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to send The Hall into the second with a 13-8 advantage. An Elmore jumper capped an 8-2 run, resulting in an 18-10 lead with 7:28 to go before halftime. Up to that point, Seton Hall's defense had held the Bulldogs to just four made buckets in their first 19 attempts.

A breakaway layup by Samuels gave The Hall a commanding 26-16 lead with just 1:34 to go before the break, but Butler closed the half with an 8-0 run, and Genesis Parker's layup at the halftime buzzer sent the Pirates into the locker room up only two, 26-24.

Seton Hall opened the second half with a 10-2 run, and a pair of made free-throws by Samuels extended its lead to 36-26 with 5:57 to go in the third quarter.

Leading 57-43 with under five minutes left in the game, Butler mounted a final charge and used an 8-0 run to cut The Hall's lead to only six points with 2:44 to go. The Pirates however, responded with a game-clinching 9-0 burst of their own, and a pair of free-throws by Jasmine Smith (Houston, Texas) gave them an insurmountable 66-51 advantage with just over a minute left.

You'll like this... big-time PSN production on this highlight package of today's win over Butler. Thanks to @ajmill7259

Check it out...#HALLin pic.twitter.com/vSPlDGaNGG
— Seton Hall WBB (@SHUWBB) March 1, 2020

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 23-for-58 (39.7%) from the floor for the game, while Butler was 20-for-48 (41.7%). The Hall was 4-for-19 (21.1%) from three-point range, while the Bulldogs were 5-for-17 (29.4%).
Samuels had a game-high 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting in addition to eight rebounds and two steals.
Butler out-rebounded The Hall, 35-to-31, but the Pirates held a slim 15-to-13 advantage on the offensive glass.
Lewis totaled 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including 3-for-6 from three-point range, eight rebounds and four steals.
Seton Hall was 16-for-19 (84.2%) from the free-throw line, while Butler was 8-for-13 (61.5%).
Elmore finished with 10 points, a game-high nine rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Seton Hall forced 26 turnovers, while Butler forced 15. The Hall had 29 points off Butler turnovers, compared to just 10 points for the Bulldogs off Pirate turnovers.
Freshman Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) had four points and six assists without committing a turnover.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall improves to 18-11 overall and 11-7 in the BIG EAST, while Butler falls to 19-10 overall and 11-7 in conference play. The Pirates complete the regular season tied for third place.
Seton Hall's victory means it has earned the No. 4 seed in the upcoming BIG EAST Championship, provided St. John's beats Xavier today, and has earned a first-round bye. The Hall will take on No. 5 Butler in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Seton Hall's victory is its 18^th overall and 11^th in BIG EAST play this year, both high marks since the 2015-16 season.
The Hall is now 9-5 all-time against Butler and has swept the 2019-20 season series.
Elmore scored in double-figures for the 23^rd time in 29 games this season, which leads Seton Hall. She now has 37 such games in her career.
Lewis reached 20 points in a game for the third straight game and the seventh time this season, which leads the Pirates.
Seton Hall forced 21 turnovers today. It's the 13^th time this season that the Pirates have forced at least 20 in a game. Conversely, The Hall has committed 20 turnovers only three times.
Seton Hall improves to 84-30 in home games under head coach Anthony Bozzella and 38-25 in BIG EAST contests.
Park-Lane finished with six assists and no turnovers today. She now has 10 games this season of at least five assists and two or fewer turnovers.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Saturday, March 7 when it begins play at the 2020 BIG EAST Championship at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The No. 4 Pirates will face No. 5 Butler at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised nationally on FS2, and of course will be available via 89.5 FM WSOU or wsou.net.

Don't miss BEDN's post-game interviews with Shadeen Samuels and Alexis Lewis!!#HALLin pic.twitter.com/eaeduwTnCD
— Seton Hall WBB (@SHUWBB) March 1, 2020