Pirates Down Butler with Second Half Surge, 79-64

Monday, January 11

Indianapolis, Ind. / Hinkle Field House

6:00 PM

Seton Hall University

4-3,2-2Big East

Butler

0-7,0-6Big East

Seton Hall

Butler

1/11/2021 8:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score HOME BOX SCORE (.pdf)

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. – Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Ossining, N.Y.) had a game-high 23 points on the strength of seven made three-pointers and the Seton Hall women's basketball team defeated Butler, 79-64, in Indianapolis on Monday.

The Hall used a game-defining 26-3 run spanning 8:33 of the second half to coast to a definitive road victory.

Espinoza-Hunter was 7-for-11 from three-point range and had three rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) finished with 18 points, narrowly missing her fourth straight game with at least 20 points. The point guard also matched a season-high seven assists and had four rebounds.

Senior Jasmine Smith (Houston, Texas) tallied a career-high 14 points off the bench and matched her career-best with six rebounds. Sophomore Mya Jackson (Wilmington, Ohio) was fourth Pirate to score in double-figures, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds.

The Story:
Trailing 6-2 early, Espinoza-Hunter connected on three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to tie the game at eight with 6:26 left in the first quarter. The game was closely contested throughout the remainder of the first quarter with the teams tied at 17 after the first 10 minutes. The Pirates put up 13 three-pointers in the opening frame, but connected on just three, all by Espinoza-Hunter.

PIRATES WIN!!

Seton Hall uses a 26-3 run in the second half to pull away from Butler. Andra Espinoza-Hunter scored a season-high 23 points on the strength of seven made three-pointers.

Lauren Park-Lane finished with 18 points and seven assists.#HALLin 🏀🏴‍☠️🏀 pic.twitter.com/Wa0N6gFYof
— Seton Hall Women's Basketball (@SHUWBB) January 12, 2021

After shooting just 35.3% from the floor in the opening quarter, the story was much different in the second. Down 21-20 in the second quarter, The Hall went on an 12-2 burst, and a three-pointer by Jackson with 4:14 left in the first half gave it a commanding 33-23 advantage. The Pirates connected on 8-for-13 shots in the second quarter, including 5-for-6 from three-point range, and took a 43-34 lead into the locker room.

Seton Hall went through a stretch in the third quarter when it missed nine of 10 shots, but it was 7-for-9 from the free-throw line during that time and actually increased its lead. Butler cut the Pirates' lead to 50-44 with 5:36 left in the quarter, but The Hall responded with a game-sealing 26-3 run. The outburst spanned 8:33 in all, the final five-plus minutes of the third and the first three and a half minutes of the fourth. During that time, the Pirates held Butler to just 1-for-8 shooting from the floor and forced five turnovers. When the dust cleared, Seton Hall had a 76-47 lead with 7:03 remaining, and it coasted from there.

Here's a look at all seven three-pointers tonight by Andra Espinoza-Hunter...#HALLin pic.twitter.com/VLVYXTub2B
— Seton Hall Women's Basketball (@SHUWBB) January 12, 2021

Inside the Numbers:

The teams were identical from the floor, both shooting 25-for-61 (41.0%), but The Hall had significant advantages from three-point range and at the free-throw line. The Pirates were 11-for-31 (35.5%) from three-point range, while the Bulldogs were 8-for-30 (26.7%). At the line, The Hall was 18-for-25 (72.0%), while Butler was just 6-for-11 (54.5%).
Espinoza-Hunter had a game-high 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the field, including 7-for-11 from three-point range.
The Hall out-rebounded Butler, 41-to-34, which included a 16-to-13 advantage on the offensive boards.
Park-Lane finished with 18 points on 7-for-15 shooting. She also dished out a game-high seven assists and pulled down four rebounds.
Seton Hall forced 18 turnovers and turned them into 24 points, while Butler forced just 12, turning them into 17 points.
Smith had a career-high 14 points on 4-for-8 shooting. She also had six rebounds and three assists.
Jackson finished with 12 points on the strength of 3-for-5 shooting from three-point range. She also had six rebounds.
Alexia Allesch (Basking Ridge, N.J.) and Mya Bembry (West Orange, N.J.) combined to pull down 17 rebounds.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall improves to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in BIG EAST games, while Butler falls to 0-7 overall and 0-6 in conference play.
The Hall improves to 11-5 all-time against Butler and has now won five straight games in the series.
Park-Lane has now scored in double-figures in nine straight games dating back to last season. She has also now started 38 consecutive games, every game of her collegiate career.
Park-Lane has had at least five assists in six games so far this year and 17 times in her career.
This was the first game of an eight-day stretch that will see Seton Hall play four games in three cities.
With 14 points tonight, Smith surpassed 100 points scored for her career.
Seton Hall's 31 attempted three-pointers and 25 attempted free-throws tonight are both season-highs. The Pirates' 18 made free-throws are also a season-high.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Wednesday, January 13 when it remains on the road for a BIG EAST game at No. 3 Connecticut. The game will be televised by SNY, and of course will be provided on the radio by 89.5 FM WSOU and wsou.net. Tip-time is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET.