Despite Bembry's Career Day, Hall Can't Overcome Early Deficit

Sunday, December 5

Queens, N.Y. / Carnesecca Arena

2:00 PM

Seton Hall University

3-4,0-2Big East

St. John's

4-4,1-0Big East

Seton Hall

St. John's (NY)

Despite Bembry's Career Day, Hall Can't Overcome Early Deficit

12/5/2021 5:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score HOME BOX SCORE (.pdf)

Mya Bembry notched her first career double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

QUEENS, N.Y. – Junior Mya Bembry (West Orange, N.J.) collected her first career double-double and Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) had a team-high 23 points, but the Seton Hall women's basketball team fell at St. John's, 88-75, on Sunday.

The Red Storm used a 7-0 run to end the first quarter and take an eight-point lead into the second, and that proved to be the difference. The teams played mostly even basketball for the final three stanzas. St. John's shot 58.9% from the field for the game, by far a season-high for a Pirate opponent, and were only called for one foul over the game's first 31:09.

Bembry made her first start of the season and matched her career-high with 14 points in the first half alone. She pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds and played a career-most 38 minutes.

Park-Lane had a team-high 23 points and a game-high seven assists with just one turnover. Sidney Cooks (Kenosha, Wis.) had 17 points, four rebounds and a career-high five assists.

The Story:
After a close contest for the majority of the first quarter, St. John's pulled away late. A jumper by Park-Lane cut The Hall's deficit to 15-14 with 2:51 left, but the Red Storm closed the quarter with a 7-0 run to take an eight-point lead into the second.

In the second quarter, the Pirates caught fire from three-point range, including a trio of made trifectas by Cooks. A jumper by Park-Lane brought The Hall to within four points, 36-32, with 4:28 before the break, but St. John's responded with a 9-2 run to grab a commanding 45-36 lead with under two minutes left before halftime. A bucket by Bembry cut The Hall's deficit to five, but St. John's Leilani Correa hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to send the Red Storm into halftime up 48-40.

The Pirates shot a respectable 43.6% from the floor in the first half, but St. John's fired a blistering 58.3% and wasn't called for their first foul until 1:31 left in the second.

Park-Lane hit a jumper with 1:15 left in the third quarter to pull the Pirates to within 61-55, but the Red Storm responded with a 9-0 run to boost it's lead back up to 15 points, 70-55, with 8:58 left in the game. From there, the Pirates couldn't get the lead back down to single digits the rest of the way.

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 31-for-61 (38.3%) from the floor for the game, while St. John's was 33-for-56 (58.9%). The Hall was 8-for-29 (27.6%) from three-point range, while the Red Storm were 7-for-17 (41.2%).
Bembry tied a career-high with 14 points to go with a career-bests of 13 rebounds, four assists and 38 minutes played.
St. John's out-rebounded The Hall, 38-to-34. The Pirates had a huge advantage, however, on the offensive glass, 14-to-3.
Park-Lane had a team-high 23 points and a game-high seven assists.
Seton Hall was just 5-for-6 (83.3%) from the free-throw line, with four of those shots coming in the fourth quarter. St. John's was 15-for-20 (75.0%).
Cooks had 17 points, four rebounds and a career-high five assists.
Seton Hall forced 16 turnovers, while St. John's forced seven. The Hall outscored the Red Storm, 20-to-3, in points-off-turnovers.
Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Ossining, N.Y.) finished with 11 points and six rebounds.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall drops to 3-4 overall and 0-2 in the BIG EAST, while St. John's improves to 4-4 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
The Pirates are now 35-49 all-time against the Red Storm.
Park-Lane has now scored in double-figures in 15 straight games dating back to last year.
Bembry's double-double is the first of her career.
Park-Lane has now recorded at least seven assists in four of the last five games.
Park-Lane's 20-point game is her second straight, fourth of the season and 10^th of her career.
After averaging 18 free throw attempts per game on the season, the Pirates took only six today, and only two over the first three quarters.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Saturday, December 11 when it travels to Princeton. Game time is scheduled for Noon. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+.