Pirates Fall in Double-OT Despite 35 from Espinoza-Hunter

Sunday, February 20

South Orange, N.J.

1:00 PM

Seton Hall University

14-11,9-8Big East

Creighton

20-7,15-4Big East

OT 1

OT 2

Creighton

Seton Hall

Photo by: Matt Kipp

Pirates Fall in Double-OT Despite 35 from Espinoza-Hunter

2/20/2022 5:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score HOME BOX SCORE (.pdf)

In an instant classic, The Hall is outlasted by Creighton, 97-91, before a raucous Walsh Gym crowd.

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Despite a spirited team-wide effort and a career-high 35 points from Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Ossining, N.Y.), the Seton Hall women's basketball team fell in a double-overtime thriller, 97-91, to Creighton on Senior Day, Sunday.

Junior Mya Bembry (West Orange, N.J.) muscled her way for a layup with 2:37 left in double-overtime to give The Hall a 91-89 lead, but Creighton was able to take advantage with Espinoza-Hunter fouled out and Mya Jackson (Wilmington, Ohio) lost with an injury, and finished the game on a 9-0 run.

Espinoza-Hunter was brilliant scoring 35 points on the strength of 6-for-8 shooting from three-point range. She also had five rebounds. Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) played all 50 minutes, netting 24 points to go with five rebounds and a game-high 12 assists.

Bembry also had a double-double with 10 points and a team-best 13 rebounds in a career-high 43 minutes.

The Story:
Trailing 24-18 after the first quarter, the Pirates scored the first 12 points of the second frame. Espinoza-Hunter scored eight of the Pirates' 12 points during the run, including a pair of three-pointers, which game The Hall a 30-24 advantage with 5:52 left before halftime. The Bluejays bounced back with a 9-2 run to reclaim the lead with 2:44 left in the second, and took a 40-37 lead into the break.

In a mostly evenly-played third quarter, the Pirates scored six straight late, and a three-pointer by Park-Lane with 1:19 left gave them a 61-56 lead. Creighton scored the last four points of the third frame, however, to cut their deficit to just one entering the fourth quarter.

Down 63-61, Seton Hall went on a 10-2 run, and another trifecta by Park-Lane put The Hall in front, 71-65, with 6:14 left in regulation. Back came the Bluejays with an 8-2 spurt to tie the game at 73 with 3:50 to go. Trailing 78-76 with 1:38 left, Park-Lane sank a pair of free-throws to tie the game at 78 and ultimately send the game into overtime.

In the first extra session, Creighton's Tatum Rembao hit one of two free-throws to give the Bluejays an 83-81 lead with 18 seconds left. Then, with just six seconds to go, Park-Lane hit a floater and was fouled, sending Walsh Gym into a frenzy. Her ensuing made-free throw gave the Pirates an 84-83 lead, but Creighton's Rachael Saunders was fouled with just 1.2 seconds left. She made only one of two free-throws, and after a Pirates turnover and an over-turned would-be half-court game-winner by Creighton, the game went into a second overtime.

In the sixth period of the game, Park-Lane again struck for a three-point play to put the Pirates in front. A minute later, a layup by Bembry gave The Hall a 91-89 lead with 2:37 to go, but it was the last bucket of the game for The Hall. Creighton closed out the contest with a 9-0 run.

DID THAT JUST HAPPEN??? pic.twitter.com/Yh3osOJcuA
— Seton Hall Women's Basketball (@SHUWBB) February 20, 2022

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 36-for-79 (45.6%) from the floor for the game, while Creighton was 33-for-77 (42.9%). The Hall was 10-for-24 (41.7%) from three-point range, while the Bluejays were 13-for-40 (32.5%).
Espinoza-Hunter had a career-high 35 points on 13-for-23 shooting, including 6-for-8 from three-point range. She also had five rebounds and two assists in 49 minutes.
Creighton edged the Pirates in rebounding, 46-to-43, which included a 15-to-12 advantage on the offensive glass.
Park-Lane notched a double-double with 24 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds in 50 minutes played.
Seton Hall was 9-for-11 (81.8%) from the free-throw line, while Creighton was 18-for-23 (78.3%).
Sidney Cooks (Kenosha, Wis.) had 15 points to go with five rebounds and three blocks.
Seton Hall forced 12 turnovers, while Creighton forced 13, in a relatively clean game.
Bembry tallied a double-double with 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting to go with a team-best 13 rebounds.

TREMENDOUS effort by Mya Bembry, which results in an Andra three-pointer!!#HALLin pic.twitter.com/iOJXAXHb7H
— Seton Hall Women's Basketball (@SHUWBB) February 20, 2022

News & Notes:

Seton Hall drops to 14-11 overall and 9-8 in BIG EAST games, while Creighton improves to 20-7 overall and 15-4 in conference play. The Pirates had their six-game win streak snapped.
The Pirates fall to 5-14 all-time against Creighton and have now lost five straight in the series.
Espinoza-Hunter's 35 points is the most scored by a Pirate since Tabatha Richardson-Smith tallied 35 against DePaul on Jan. 18, 2015.
Espinoza-Hunter's 35-point outburst is her first 30+ point game of the season and the second of her career. She reached at least 20 points for the 11th time this season and the 18^th time since joining Seton Hall.
Both Espinoza-Hunter and Jackson moved past the 700-point mark for their Seton Hall careers.
With 12 assists today, Park-Lane became only the fifth player in Seton Hall history to reach 400 for her career.
This was Seton Hall's first double-overtime game since falling to Rutgers in the WNIT on March 27, 2014.
Park-Lane's double-double is her fourth of the season and the fifth of her career, while Bembry tallied her second double-double of the season and career.
Park-Lane's 20+ point game is her 11^th of the season and the 17^th of her career.
With six made three-pointers today, Espinoza-Hunter moved into a tie with Cecilia Lindqvist for 10^th place all-time. She now has 109 made three-pointers.
Seton Hall celebrated Senior Day and honored four players, Espinoza-Hunter, Katie Armstrong (Collegeville, Pa.), Danielle Robinson (Newark, N.J.), as well as former Pirate Femi Funeus, prior to today's contest.

ANDRA AGAIN!! 12-0 RUN!! TIMEOUT CREIGHTON!! SENIOR DAY SENSATIONAL!!#HALLin pic.twitter.com/KDaBvOxHMl
— Seton Hall Women's Basketball (@SHUWBB) February 20, 2022

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Tuesday, February 22 when it faces BIG EAST rival Butler at historic Walsh Gymnasium for its final regular season home game of the year. Game time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET. The contest will be streamed live by the BIG EAST Digital Network and available for FloSports subscribers.