Pirates Start Strong, But Fade Late at Marquette, 68-62

Tuesday, February 20

Milwaukee, Wis. / Al McGuire Center

8:00 PM

Seton Hall University

15-12,7-9Big East

Marquette

20-6,9-6Big East

Seton Hall

Marquette

Photo by: Justin DiPietro

Pirates Start Strong, But Fade Late at Marquette, 68-62

2/20/2024 10:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score BOX SCORE (.pdf)

Azana Baines led The Hall with 19 points.

MILWAUKEE, WIS. – In a game in which both teams squandered double-digit leads, a late Marquette run in the final minutes of the fourth quarter proved fatal for the Seton Hall women's basketball team in a 68-62 loss to the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.

With the score tied at 59 with only 4:02 remaining, Marquette went on a 7-0 run to pull away. Both teams shot over 40 percent for the contest, but The Hall got beaten on the boards, 40-to-26, and allowed the Golden Eagles to make nine three-pointers.

After a slow-shooting start, Azana Baines (Blackwood, N.J.) led the Pirates with 19 points to go with five rebounds. Sophomore Micah Gray (Oklahoma City, Okla.) had 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Freshman

Savannah Catalon (Burleson, Texas), the reigning two-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week, was a third Pirate to score in double-figures, finishing with 10 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.

THE STORY:
Seton Hall connected on four of its first five shots and raced out to a 9-2 lead to prompt an early Marquette timeout. The Pirates kept the offensive onslaught going, making their first five three-point attempts, including a pair by both Gray and Hagans. An 8-2 run by The Hall, capped by a jumper from Shailyn Pinkney (East Hartford, Conn.) gave it a 25-11 lead with 2:46 left in the first.

In the second, a made jumper by Gray gave Seton Hall its largest lead of the game, 33-15, but Marquette responded with an 16-1 run to cut its deficit to 34-31 with 2:26 before halftime. The Pirates took a 36-33 lead into the break. The teams essentially switched roles with The Hall dominating the first and Marquette the second. Marquette shot 56 percent from the field in the first half, but the Pirates' defense forced 12 turnovers.

A layup by Baines put The Hall up, 38-33, but Marquette bounced back with nine unanswered points to take their first lead of the game. With the score tied at 42, the Golden Eagles went on a 12-2 run to grab a 54-44 advantage with 1:22 left in the third quarter. The Pirates closed with the final five points to cut their deficit to five entering the fourth.

Trailing 59-49, Baines scored the Pirates' next seven points, and her three-pointer with 5:53 remaining cut their deficit to just three. On the next possession, Kae Sattefield's (New York, N.Y.) three-point play tied the game at 59. Marquette had the final run, however, a 7-0 burst, and a three-pointer by Jordan King with 1:17 to go proved to be the back-breaker.

THE NUMBERS:

Seton Hall was 23-for-57 (40.4%) from the floor for the game, while Marquette was 26-for-53 (49.1%). The Hall was 6-for-16 (37.5%) from three-point range, while the Golden Eagles were 9-for-20 (45.0%).
Baines finished with a team-best 19 points to go with five rebounds and two steals.
Marquette out-rebounded The Hall, 40-to-26, which included an 8-to-7 edge on the offensive glass.
Gray scored 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
Seton Hall was 10-for-15 (66.7%) from the free-throw line, while Marquette was 7-for-8 (87.5%).
Catalon had 10 points to go with team-highs of seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Seton Hall forced 19 turnovers, while the Golden Eagles forced 12. The Hall had an 18-to-15 edge in points-off-turnovers.
Hagans finished with eight points.
The Pirates had 16 fast-break points, compared to just six for Marquette.

THE NOTES:

Seton Hall drops to 15-12 overall and 7-9 in conference games, while Marquette improves to 20-6 overall and 9-6 in the BIG EAST.
The Hall is now 11-20 all-time against Marquette. The Golden Eagles swept the 2023-24 season series.
With four points today, A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill.) reached the 1,500-mark for her career.
For the 19^th time in 27 games, Seton Hall forced more turnovers than its opponent.
Catalon continued her late season surge, reaching double-figures in scoring for a fourth straight game.
The Pirates' 18-point, second-quarter lead is their largest squandered in a loss this season.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to action on Wednesday, February 28 when it travels to BIG EAST rival Providence. The contest will be streamed live by the BIG EAST Digital Network and available for FloHoops subscribers. Tip-time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.