Gritty Effort Falls Short at No. 2 Connecticut

Wednesday, February 10

Storrs, Conn. / Gampel Pavilion

6:30 PM

Seton Hall University

9-4,7-3Big East

#2 Connecticut

15-1,12-0Big East

Seton Hall

UConn

2/10/2021 9:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score HOME BOX SCORE (.pdf)

STORRS, CONN. – The Seton Hall women's basketball team took a lead into the second half against No. 2 Connecticut on Wednesday, 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 (Ossining, N.Y.) and Mya Jackson (Wilmington, Ohio) each had 15 points on the strength of three made three-pointers to lead the Pirates. Senior Desiree Elmore (Hartford, Conn.) was a third Pirate to reach-double figures in scoring. She had 12 points and a team-best seven rebounds.

The Story:
Seton Hall opened the game strong on both ends of the floor. The Pirates' defense held UConn to just 3-for-11 shooting over the first 8:02, and thanks to eight early points by Elmore, The Hall grabbed a 14-6 advantage. The Huskies cut into the lead in the waning moments of the quarter, but the Pirates won the first 10 minutes, 16-10.

The Pirates opened the second quarter with the first five points, and a three-pointer by Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) gave them a 21-10 lead. Connecticut, however, responded with an 8-0 run to cut their deficit to just 21-18 with 6:00 to go before the break. Although The Hall eventually surrendered the lead, they didn't fold, and an acrobatic shot by Jasmine Smith (Houston, Texas) put The Hall back on top late. The Pirates took a 27-26 lead into halftime. Defensively, The Hall held UConn to 0-for-7 shooting from three-point range and forced 13 turnovers in the first half.

The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair with neither team grabbing a lead of greater than three points until Connecticut took control with under four minutes left. With The Hall leading 37-35, UConn scored 12 unanswered points to claim a commanding 47-37 advantage.

The Pirates closed their deficit to just six points as they entered the fourth quarter, but the final 10 minutes belonged to the Huskies. UConn opened the final stanza with a 9-0 run to vault their lead back up to 15 points, 58-43, with 6:54 remaining in the game. A layup by Elmore on The Hall's next possession cut Seton Hall's deficit to 13 points, but the Pirates couldn't get closer.

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 20-for-62 (32.3%) from the floor for the game, while Connecticut was 31-for-67 (46.3%). The Hall was 7-for-23 (30.4%) from three-point range, while the Huskies were 4-for-16 (25.0%).
Jackson finished with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting, including three made three-pointers. She also had six rebounds.
Connecticut out-rebounded The Hall, 46-to-32, which included a 15-to-11 advantage on the offensive boards and a 20-to-4 lead in second-chance points.
Espinoza-Hunter had 15 points and also made a trio of three-pointers. She also had three rebounds and two steals.
Seton Hall was just 2-for-2 (100.0%) from the free-throw line, while Connecticut was 4-for-6 (66.7%).
Elmore finished with 12 points to go with a team-best seven rebounds and three assists.
Seton Hall forced 18 turnovers, while Connecticut forced 19.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall falls to 9-4 overall and 7-3 in BIG EAST games, while Connecticut improves to 15-1 overall and 12-0 in conference play.
The loss snaps Seton Hall's six game win streak, its longest since the 2015-16 season.
The Hall drops to 10-53 all-time against Connecticut and has now dropped 33 straight games in the all-time series.
Espinoza-Hunter has now scored in double-figures in nine straight games, every game of her career at Seton Hall.
Pirates Jasmine Smith and Curtessia Dean (Monroe, La.) celebrated birthdays today.
Seton Hall has won the first quarter against a top-5 UConn team in two of their last three meetings.
UConn's six personal fouls are the season-low for a Pirate opponent. The combined 15 personal fouls are a season-low as well.
Seton Hall's two made free-throws and two attempts are both season-lows. Combined, the teams were only 6-for-8, which is also a season-low for the Pirates and an opponent.
UConn's 26 first half points are the fewest they've scored in a BIG EAST game this season.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Saturday, February 13 when it returns to Walsh Gymnasium for a contest against Creighton. The game will be streamed 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.