Pirates Rally in the Third, But Fall to UCF Late

Tuesday, December 14

South Orange, N.J.

6:00 PM

Seton Hall University

4-5,0-2Big East

Central Florida

8-1,0-0AAC

UCF

Seton Hall

12/14/2021 9:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score HOME BOX SCORE (.pdf)

Andra Espinoza-Hunter had a team-best 15 points, and Amari Wright returned from injury with six assists.

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall women's basketball team rallied from a 17-point third-quarter deficit to make it a one-possession game entering the fourth, but ultimately fell to UCF, 68-56, in Walsh Gym on Tuesday.

The Pirates, bolstered by the return of Amari Wright (Jacksonville, Fla.) from injury, out-scored the Knights, 18-to-12 in the third quarter, but couldn't complete the rally in the fourth.

Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Ossining, N.Y.) scored a team-high 15 points to go with four assists and two steals after returning from an injury scare just a minute into the game. Sidney Cooks (Kenosha, Wis.) added 13 points and a team-best seven rebounds.

Wright, playing in her first game since Nov. 16, had five points and a career-high six assists in a career-most 31 minutes.

The Story:
Down 6-2 early in the first, the Pirates went on a 13-3 run, fueled by 11 points from Cooks, to grab a 15-9 lead with 2:12 left in the quarter. UCF bounded back with an 8-0 run over the next two minutes to jump ahead, but Espinoza-Hunter drained a three-pointer just before the buzzer to give The Hall an 18-17 advantage after the first 10 minutes.

Central Florida scored the first eight points of the second quarter before Espinoza-Hunter stopped the bleeding with her second trifecta of the game to cut the UCF lead to 25-21 with 5:33 to go before the half. UCF kept up their defensive pressure and an 8-2 run extended their advantage to 33-23. In all, the Knights forced nine Pirate turnovers in the second quarter alone and took a 35-26 lead into the break.

UCF again scored the first eight points of the quarter to take a commanding 43-26 lead with 5:57 left in the third. The Hall, however, didn't fold, and launched a 12-2 run to cut its deficit to 45-38 with 2:00 to go in the third. Down 47-38, a three-point play by Kailah Harris (Ossining, N.Y.) and a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Wright send The Hall into the fourth quarter down only three, 47-44.

The Knights scored seven of the first nine points in the fourth quarter to boost their lead back up to eight. Three minutes later, a Cooks putback cut The Hall's deficit to six, 58-52, with 4:42 left to play, but the Pirates couldn't draw closer as UCF scored 10 of the game's final 14 points.

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 21-for-47 (44.7%) from the floor for the game, while UCF was 27-for-53 (50.9%). The Hall was 7-for-18 (38.9%) from three-point range, while the Knights were 5-for-10 (50.0%).
Espinoza-Hunter scored 15 points on the strength of three made three-pointers. She also had four assists and two steals.
The UCF out-rebounded the Pirates, 29-to-23, which included an 11-to-8 advantage on the offensive glass. The Hall, however, out-scored UCF in second-chance points, 11-to-6.
Cooks finished with 13 points and a team-best seven rebounds.
Neither team missed from the free-throw line. Seton Hall was a perfect 7-for-7, while UCF was 9-for-9.
Wright had five points and a career-high six assists in a career-most 31 minutes played.
Seton Hall forced 13 turnovers, while UCF forced 18.
Harris had another strong showing off the bench with a career-high seven points to go with two rebounds.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall drops to 4-5 on the season, while UCF improves to 8-1 and extends its win streak to seven games.
This was the first-ever meeting between the programs.
With eight points tonight, Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) surpassed the 700-point milestone for her career
Seton Hall was perfect from the free-throw line for the first time this season.
Tonight was the first time the Pirates have lost this season despite shooting better than 40.0% from the floor. (3-1)
Wright returned to the floor tonight after missing the last six games due to injury.