Pirates Host No. 2 Connecticut on Friday at Walsh Gym

SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY - Walsh Gymnasium

SETON HALL (3-2) vs. #2 CONNECTICUT (3-1)
Date	Time	Live Video	Live Audio	Live Stats	Twitter
Sat., Dec. 3	7:00 PM			LIVE STATS	@SHUWBB

THE GAME
Seton Hall will return to action on Friday, December 3 when it opens BIG EAST Conference play with No. 2 Connecticut at newly-renovated Walsh Gymnasium. Tip time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The game is sold out.

** INDOOR MASK REQUIREMENT **
For those interested in attending Seton Hall's home contests at Walsh Gym... please note... All individuals (vaccinated and unvaccinated) are required to wear a mask at all indoor, nonresidential, on-campus University settings, except when alone or dining.

MEDIA
The game will be televised by SNY with Allen Bestwick and Meg Culmo on the call. As usual, the game will also be available over the airwaves at 89.5 FM WSOU and at wsou.net. Michael Daly and Jonathan Heite will describe the action on the radio. Live stats will also be available.

WSOU is now also airing a postgame "Hall Line" show following its women's basketball games. Be sure to tune in after the final buzzer.

PROMOTIONS
Teddy Bear Toss
At halftime of Friday's game, the Pirates will host a "Teddy Bear Toss," with all proceeds going to CASA.

Fans are encouraged to bring a teddy bear to the game, and when prompted at halftime, toss the bear onto the playing floor. All bears will be collected and donated to CASA for the benefit of children in need. CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, provides advocacy and essential items for children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment.

Blue Out
Pirate fans are encouraged to wear blue for the game!

The Hidden Opponent
The Hidden Opponent (THO) is an accredited non-profit and advocacy group that raises awareness for student-athlete mental health and addresses the stigma within sports culture. Our chapter here at Seton Hall seeks to empower our Pirate student-athletes to face the Hidden Opponent together. Please visit our table in the Walsh Gymnasium lobby to learn more about how you can get involved with THO here at the Hall. Together we will face #TheHiddenOpponent.

LAST GAME
Junior Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) had game-highs of 19 points and nine assists and Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Ossining, N.Y.) added 18 points as the Pirates defeated Toledo, 68-63, in overtime in their finale of the Cancun Challenge on Friday.

After Espinoza-Hunter hit a pair of free throws late in regulation to send the game into overtime, the Pirates never trailed in the extra session. Park-Lane scored five of the Pirates' 11 overtime points, and Espinoza-Hunter hit a huge three-pointer to cement The Hall's lead late.

Park-Lane finished with 19 points to go with a season-high nine assist and four rebounds. Espinoza-Hunter added 18 points on the strength of four made three-pointers. She also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Mya Jackson (Wilmington, Ohio) was a third Pirate to reach double-figures in scoring. She had 12 points and three rebounds.

The injury-depleted Pirates also got a career-best performance out of junior Kailah Harris (Ossining, N.Y.). the 6-foot-1 forward registered career-highs of six points and eight rebounds in a career-most 24 minutes off the bech.

vs.

Seton Hall All-Time vs. the Huskies: UConn leads, 53-10
Last Year's Meetings:
No. 3 UConn 92, Seton Hall 65 (F) – December 15, 2020 – Walsh Gym
No. 2 UConn 70, Seton Hall 49 (F) – February 10, 2021 – Gampel Pavilion

LAST YEAR AGAINST CONNECTICUT: Last year, Connecticut swept the home-and-home series against Seton Hall, but the Pirates played the Huskies closely both times. Seton Hall had a halftime lead on UConn in their first meeting before ultimately falling, 92-65, in Walsh Gym.

In their most recent matchup, the Pirates took a lead into the second half against No. 2 Connecticut, but the Huskies pulled away with a lengthy run late in the third quarter and eventually defeated the Pirates, 70-49, at Gampel Pavilion. The Pirates defense held the Huskies to just 26 points and forced 13 turnovers in the first half, but UConn methodically chipped away, and used a 12-0 run at the end of the third quarter to assume control.

Andra Espinoza-Hunter and Mya Jackson each had 15 points on the strength of three made three-pointers to lead the Pirates.

SCOUTING CONNECTICUT: Connecticut is again coming off another spectacular season. The Huskies went 28-2, including a perfect 18-0 in BIG EAST play during the pandemic-abbreviated 2020-21 season. UConn reached its 13th straight Final Four before falling to Arizona, 69-59, in the national semifinal.

This season, Connecticut is again the unanimous favorite to win the BIG EAST title. Sophomore Paige Bueckers was the unanimous selection for BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, as was UConn newcomer Azzi Fudd for Preseason Freshman of the Year. Christyn Williams and Olivia Nelson-Ododa were also named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.

Connecticut is off to a 3-1 start so far in 2021-22, with their lone loss coming to No. 1 South Carolina, 73-57, on Nov. 22. The second-ranked Huskies have already defeated Arkansas, Minnesota and No. 23 USF.

UP NEXT
Seton Hall will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 3 when it makes the short trip to Queens, N.Y. for a BIG EAST contest at St. John's. Tip time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on FS1.