After falling to Princeton earlier in the week, the women’s basketball team hosted a second consecutive Ivy League team, Columbia, on Thursday at Walsh Gymnasium for Bozzella’s Bonanza.
Columbia jumped out to a huge lead early on, as they connected on five of their first six attempts from behind-the-arc. A Sidney Cooks layup sparked a 13-2 run for the Lions, which put them ahead 21-8 with over five minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Azana Baines earned her first basket with Seton Hall on a beautiful hop-step down low to cut the lead to single digits. The Pirates only allowed four points from that point on in the quarter, though trailed 25-14 headed into the second frame.
Seton Hall was unable to cut into the lead in the first half, as the deficit never dipped below seven points in the second quarter. Sha’Lynn Hagans hit the only three-pointer of the half for the Pirates with 8:51 left after hitting a jumper on the prior possession.
Columbia had an answer to everything Coach Bozzella threw at them, and The Hall trailed 38-27 headed into the break. Neither team scored in the final three minutes of the half. The Lions were merciless from long range, converting on 8-of-16 attempts from distance compared to the Pirates’ 1-of-8 shooting from deep. Seton Hall held an advantage in the paint, though, with a 20-to-10 edge.
The Pirates found life out of the break and sparked a 7-0 run on the strength of five points from Sidney Cooks to cut into the Lions’ lead, 47-42, with 5:26 left in the third quarter. Columbia’s Abbey Hsu converted on triples on back-to-back plays to bring the lead back to double digits.
Trailing 66-56 in the fourth quarter, Seton Hall surged for a 12-2 run to gain their first lead of the game, 71-70, with 2:54 remaining in the game. Columbia would finish the game on a 9-0 run after Hagans scored down low with 1:30 left.
Despite a valiant effort, The Hall fell to the Lions 83-76 and sit at 2-2 on the season. Four Pirates scored double digits, with Azana Baines leading the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds in a breakout game. Cooks had 15 points and 5 rebounds, while Hagans added 13 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Allesch scored 11 points Thursday night.
Seton Hall returns to the court at the 2022 Paradise Jam on Thursday, November 24th in the U.S. Virgin Islands. They will face Virginia Commonwealth University at 3:15 PM for their first matchup.
Thomas Donnelly can be reached at thomas.donnelly@student.shu.edu. Find him on Twitter @_tommyd023.
