They entered as the worst team in the Big East and departed quickly in the same fashion.
Despite flirting with an upset bid in the first half, the women's basketball team was dropped by Syracuse, 65-42, on Friday afternoon in the first round of the 2010 Big East Tournament at the XL Center in Hartford.
The loss all but ends one of the worst seasons in Seton Hall women's basketball history, with the team finishing at 9-21 and a dismal 1-16 in Big East play (including the tournament loss).
Sophomore forward Kandice Green scored a team-high 12 points for the Pirates, who were seeking their first win since the end of January.
Midway through the first half, the Hall was up 22-10 and gaining momentum.
Sharpshooting from junior guard Ebonie Williams and freshman guard Brittany Morris (who made a surprise start in the contest) helped to build the advantage. Even the crowd, filled with Connecticut Huskies fans, seemed to be pulling for the 16th seeded Pirates to pull out the upset.
But Syracuse rallied down the stretch to make it a 28-27 game at the intermission, leaving the Hall up just one point after a 17-3 run by the Orange.
Syracuse's poor shooting – a poor 29 percent in the game – allowed the Pirates to hang around for the start of the second half. However, eight straight baskets by the No. 9 seeded Orange made the once-tight affair a blowout with about 10 minutes left to play.
Seton Hall trailed by as many as 25 points in the second half.
For the Pirates, it is on to a highly-touted recruiting class for 2010-2011 and the addition of Jasmine Crew (who sat out this season after transferring from Northeastern).
The Hall will be losing seniors Nicole Emery, Letitia Curry and Ashley Booker to graduation, but will be returning a core of Williams and Green to attempt a turnaround next season.
Brian Wisowaty can be reached at brian.wisowaty@student.shu.edu.
