Bembry's Game-Winner Sends Pirates to Semis, 66-65

Saturday, March 5

Uncasville, Conn. / Mohegan Sun Arena

9:30 PM

Seton Hall University

19-11,12-8Big East

#3 Creighton

20-9,15-5Big East

Seton Hall

Creighton

Photo by: Ben Solomon

3/6/2022 2:15:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score HOME BOX SCORE (.pdf)

Bembry wins it with 2.1 seconds left as the Pirates stun third-seeded Creighton.

UNCASVILLE, CONN. – Junior Mya Bembry (West Orange, N.J.) drained a baseline jumper with 2.1 seconds remaining to give the Seton Hall women's basketball team a dramatic, come-from-behind 66-65 victory over Creighton in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal on Saturday.

In a thrilling affair that featured 12 lead changes, the Pirates trailed by as many as seven points in the fourth quarter before mounting a late charge. Creighton's Tatum Rembao hit a three-pointer to give the Bluejays the lead with just 28 seconds left, but the Pirates took their time on their final possession and Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) found Bembry open on the baseline for the game-winning shot.

Senior Sidney Cooks (Kenosha, Wis.) had a monster game for The Hall, registering a game-high 20 points to go with eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists. Bembry notched a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Hall advances to the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals where it will be second-seeded Villanova at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. Top-seeded UConn faces fifth-seeded Marquette in the other semifinal.

The Story:
Seton Hall jumped out to an early 6-2 lead, but Creighton bounced back with an 8-0 run to go ahead, 10-6 with 3:45 left in the first quarter. The Pirates outscored the Bluejays, 9-2, for the remainder of the quarter with Mya Jackson (Wilmington, Ohio) giving them the lead with a three-pointer. The Hall held a 15-12 lead after one quarter.

Leading 17-16 early in the second quarter, the Pirates went on a 10-0 run, fueled by four points from both Bembry and Cooks, to give them a 27-16 lead with 4:50 left before halftime. The Bluejays cut into The Hall's lead, but the Pirates still took a 33-27 advantage into halftime.

Cooks scored just 17 seconds not the second half to give The Hall a 37-30 lead, but Creighton responded with an 11-0 run to give them a 41-37 lead with 5:33 to go in the third. They carried a 48-46 lead into the fourth.

After a slow start, Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Ossining, N.Y.) caught fire at the right time. Down 53-46 with 7:22 left to play, she connected on her first of three fourth-quarter three-pointers to keep the Pirates close. Down five, Espinoza-Hunter's second three-pointer cut The Hall's deficit to 57-55 with 4:29 to go, and her third, less than a minute later, gave the Pirates a 58-57 lead.

Rembao had a layup off a bad Pirate turnover to put Creighton on top, 62-59, with 1:42 left, but Park-Lane had a monster step-back three-pointer on the ensuing possession to tie the game at 62. Cooks scored in the paint to put the Pirates in front, 64-62, with 45 seconds left. After a Creighton timeout, Rembao hit her three-pointer to give the advantage back to the Bluejays, 65-64, setting up Bembry's heroics in The Hall's final possession.

MYA. BEMBRY. GOODNIGHT. pic.twitter.com/wTK1agmFTK
— Seton Hall Women's Basketball (@SHUWBB) March 6, 2022

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 29-for-64 (45.3%) from the floor for the game, while Creighton was 26-for-66 (39.4%). The Hall was 6-for-19 (31.6%) from three-point range, while the Bluejays were 8-for-25 (32.0%).
Cooks finished with a game-high 20 points to go with eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists.
The Hall out-rebounded Creighton, 38-to-37, but the Bluejays had a 12-to-9 advantage on the offensive glass.
Park-Lane finished with 14 points and a game-high eight assists.
Seton Hall was 2-for-3 (66.7%) from the free-throw line, while Creighton was 5-for-7 (71.4%).
Espinoza-Hunter had 13 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter, to go with eight rebounds and two steals.
Seton Hall forced 10 turnovers, while Creighton forced 11.
Bembry tallied a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The No. 6 Pirates knock off No. 3 Creighton, 66-65, and advance to the semifinals! What a win!!#HALLin @MarchMadnessWBB @ESPN_WomenHoop @CBBonFOX pic.twitter.com/kPdM31fEWt
— Seton Hall Women's Basketball (@SHUWBB) March 6, 2022

News & Notes:

Seton Hall improves to 19-11 overall and has now won 11 of its last 12 games, while Creighton falls to 20-9 overall and waits to hear its name on NCAA Selection Monday.
The Hall has now won 11 of 12 games for the first time since the start of the 2015-16 season when it won 13 of its first 14 games.
The Pirates improve to 6-14 all-time against Creighton and snap a five-game losing streak to them.
The Hall is now 27-37 all-time in BIG EAST Tournament games. The Pirates' 27 wins is fourth-most in conference history. Seton Hall is now 1-2 all-time against Creighton in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Seton Hall improves to 9-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponent.
With eight assists today, Park-Lane moved past former Pirates Jodi Brooks and Phyllis Mangina into sole possession of third place on the all-time Seton Hall list with 449 career assists.
Bembry's double-double is her third of the season. It's also the fifth time this year she's reached double-figures in rebounds.
Tonight's effort is Cooks' seventh 20-point game of the season.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action tomorrow when it continues play at the 2022 BIG EAST Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The six-seeded Pirates will now face second-seeded Villanova in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. ET. The contest will be televised nationally on FS1.