Pirates Reign "SHU"preme Over Pioneers, 67-46

Monday, December 9

South Orange, N.J.

7:00 PM

Seton Hall University

7-2,0-0Big East

Sacred Heart

3-5,0-0MAAC

Sacred Heart

Seton Hall

Savannah Catalon drives past a Bryant defender on Nov. 16

12/9/2024 9:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score BOX SCORE (.pdf)

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Sophomore Savannah Catalon (Mansfield, Texas) scored a game-high 20 points on her birthday to help lift the Seton Hall women's basketball team to a 67-46 victory over Sacred Heart in historic Walsh Gymnasium on Monday.

Although not a standout offensive effort, The Hall used its swarming defense, which has become its calling card early this season. The Pirates held Sacred Heart to only 46 points and 30.8 percent shooting from the floor, and forced 19 turnovers.

Catalon had 20 points on an efficient 7-for-11 shooting from the floor, including 3-for-5 from three-point range. Faith Masonius (Spring Lake, N.J.) had 14 points to go with five rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in another strong all-round performance.

THE STORY:
Seton Hall's defense was up for the challenge from the start. The Pirates held the Pioneers to just 12 points in the opening quarter and forced six turnovers. Meanwhile, The Hall used a 10-2 run to pull away, fueled by a pair of made three-pointers by Catalon. A pair of made free-throws by Masonius gave the Pirates an 18-7 lead with 1:02 left in the first.

The Pirates stretched their lead to 24-14 with 7:04 before halftime, but then both teams went cold from the field. The teams combined for just one made field goal for nearly five minutes. Leading 24-18, The Hall went on a 10-0 run, highlighted by a four-point play by Catalon to give it a 34-18 advantage with 1:11 left before the break.

The Hall took a 37-20 lead into the half. In the second half, Sacred Heart never got closer than the 17-point halftime deficit, while the Pirates grew the lead to as many as 23 points.

Savannah Catalon with a fantastic four-point play from the corner!!!#HALLin 🏀🏴‍☠️🔵⚪ pic.twitter.com/uCFajze9mZ
— Seton Hall Women's Basketball (@SHUWBB) December 10, 2024

THE NUMBERS:

Seton Hall was 25-for-57 (43.9%) from the floor for the game, while Sacred Heart was 16-for-52 (30.8%). The Hall was 7-for-20 (35.0%) from three-point range, while the Pioneers were 4-for-17 (23.5%).
Catalon had 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the floor including 3-for-5 shooting from three-point range. She also had four assists, three rebounds and three steals.
The Hall out-rebounded Sacred Heart, 40-to-28, which included an 11-to-7 edge on the offensive glass and a 8-to-2 advantage in second-chance points.
Masonius tallied 14 points to go with five rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
Seton Hall was 10-for-11 (90.9%) from the free-throw line, while Sacred Heart was 10-for-14 (71.4%).
Freshman Jada Eads (Orlando, Fla.) had 11 points to go with a career-high seven rebounds.
Seton Hall forced 19 turnovers, while the Pioneers forced 17. The Pioneers had a 13-to-12 Edge in points-off-turnovers.
Graduate student Yaya Lops (Stamford, Conn.) pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to go with four points and three blocks.
The Pirates had 18 fast-break points, compared to just two for Sacred Heart.

THE NOTES:

Seton Hall improves to 7-2, while Sacred Heart drops to 3-5.
The Hall is now 5-0 all-time against the Pioneers.
Seton Hall has now forced more turnovers than its opponent in all nine games this season.
Catalon has now reached at least 20 points in three straight games. She had only three career games with 20 points prior to this current streak.
The Pirates improve to 132-50 in Walsh Gym during the Bozzella era. Furthermore, the Pirates are now 70-13 against non-conference opponents at home.\
With a steal tonight, Amari Wright (Jacksonville, Fla.) tied former Pirates Geraldine Saintilus and Pam Kapuscienski for 11^th place on Seton Hall's career list with 177.
Tonight was Wright's 118^th career game played, which is tied with Ozelina Gorham for eighth most in Seton Hall history.
With five assists tonight, Wright passed former Pirate Leslie Fairbanks into ninth place on Seton Hall's career list with 330.
Lops reached at least 10 rebounds in a single-game for the 10th time in her career.
The Hall has now held five opponents under 55 points this season.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to action on Saturday, December 14 when it returns to historic Walsh Gymnasium to host Le Moyne. Tip time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The game will be streamed by the Pirate Sports Network and available for FloCollege subscribers. As always, 89.5 FM WSOU or wsou.net will also carry the contest.