Espinoza-Hunter, Elmore Lift Pirates Over Marquette, 77-66

Friday, January 15

South Orange, N.J.

1:00 PM

Seton Hall University

5-3,3-2Big East

Marquette

6-2,3-1Big East

Marquette

Seton Hall

Espinoza-Hunter, Elmore Lift Pirates Over Marquette, 77-66

1/15/2021 4:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score HOME BOX SCORE (.pdf)

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Ossining, N.Y.) and Desiree Elmore (Hartford, Conn.) combined for 45 points as the Seton Hall women's basketball defeated Marquette, 77-66, in Walsh Gym on Friday afternoon.

Seton Hall kept Marquette off the scoreboard for a stunning 8:17 in the second quarter, enabling it to go on a 14-0 run and set the tone for the remainder of the game.

For a second straight game, Espinoza-Hunter drained seven three-pointers, shooting 7-for-12 from beyond the arc. She finished with a game-high 25 points to go with five rebounds and two steals. Elmore, coming off an injury, dropped 20 points off the bench on 9-for-17 shooting. She also had a team-best eight rebounds.

Sophomore Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) and senior Jasmine Smith (Houston, Texas) also scored in double-figures. Park-Lane had 14 points and six assists, while Smith had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench.

The Story:
Seton Hall got off to a quick start against Marquette, grabbing an early 21-11 lead highlighted by a three-pointer by Espinoza-Hunter and a three-point play by Park-Lane. An 8-0 run by the Golden Eagles cut the Pirates lead to just two with just over a minute left in the opening quarter, but The Hall padded its lead before the first buzzer with another three by Espinoza-Hunter and a bucket by Elmore.

Leading 26-19, the Pirates turned up their defensive effort as the second quarter started. Marquette's Jordan King scored just 40 seconds into the second frame to cut The Hall's lead to five, but then the Golden Eagles didn't score again for 8:17. During that time, the Pirates went on a 14-0 run, and a fast-break three-pointer by Espinoza-Hunter off a feed from Smith gave them a commanding 40-21 advantage. The Pirates limited the Golden Eagles to just two made field goals in the second quarter (2-for-11) and took a 42-26 lead into the break.

Elmore hit a jumper with 8:58 left in the fourth quarter to give The Hall a 70-52 lead, but it would be its final field goal of the game. Marquette went on an 11-0 run to cut its deficit to just seven points with 5:50 left to play. Fortunately, the Pirates were 7-for-8 from the free-throw line during the field goal drought and was able to hold on for an 11-point win.

WOW!! Check out this fast break, and pass from Desiree Elmore to Mya Jackson!!#HALLin pic.twitter.com/viipeKCswd
— Seton Hall Women's Basketball (@SHUWBB) January 15, 2021

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 29-for-70 (41.4%) from the floor for the game, while Marquette was 28-for-65 (43.1%). The Hall was 7-for-26 (26.9%) from three-point range, while the Golden Eagles were 3-for-16 (18.8%).
Espinoza-Hunter scored a game-high 25 points on the strength of 7-for-12 shooting from three-point range. She also had five rebounds and two steals.
Marquette out-rebounded The Hall, 49-to-35, which included an 18-to-12 advantage on the offensive boards and a 22-to-9 lead in second-chance points.
Elmore scored 20 points on 9-for-17 shooting and grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.
Seton Hall was 12-for-15 (80.0%) from the free-throw line, while Marquette was 7-for-13 (53.8%).
Park-Lane finished with 14 points and a team-best six assists.
Seton Hall forced 22 turnovers, while Marquette forced 11. The Hall had 29 points off turnovers, compared to just nine for the Golden Eagles.
Smith had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall improves to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in BIG EAST games, while Marquette falls to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
The Hall improves to 9-16 all-time against Marquette and has won the last two games in the series in Walsh Gym.
Espinoza-Hunter is now 14-for-23 from three-point range in her last two games combined. Her seven made three-pointers today and Monday against Butler are tied for the second-most in a single-game in Seton Hall history. Former Pirate Nicole Jimenez holds the record with nine made three-pointers.
Park-Lane has now scored in double-figures in 10 straight games dating back to last season. She has also now started 39 consecutive games, every game of her collegiate career.
Park-Lane has had at least five assists in seven games so far this year and 18 times in her career.
Elmore reached 20 points in a game for the 10th time in her career.
Seton Hall has forced at least 20 turnovers in six of eight games so far this year.
With 20 points today, Elmore moves past former Pirate JaQuan Jackson into 40^th place on the program's all-time scoring list. She now has 793 career points.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Sunday, January 17 when it hosts Butler at Walsh Gymnasium. The game will be streamed live by the BIG EAST Digital Network and shown on FloHoops.com, and of course will be provided on the radio by 89.5 FM WSOU and wsou.net. Tip-time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.