After falling to the Columbia University Lions on Dec. 10, Seton Hall women’s basketball rebounded against another feline foe by defeating the Auburn University (AU) Tigers, 69-63, at Walsh Gymnasium on Sunday in the programs’ second-ever meeting.
This was a much-needed win for the Pirates, who had lost their last two games, as well as three of their last four games, after starting the season 5-0. In all three of those losses, SHU’s opponents (Princeton University, North Carolina (NC) State University, and Columbia) only led for a combined 22:27. And yet, they all managed to beat SHU because the Pirates’ offense went cold in the fourth quarter of each game—against Princeton, they were outscored 22-to-13 in the final period, and in their last two fourth quarters against NC State and Columbia, the Pirates shot a combined 4-for-30 (13.3%) from the field.
Heading into the fourth quarter of this game, another late-game collapse felt imminent: SHU was leading, had led for most of the game, and the Tigers were slowly starting to claw their way back into the game. That felt like even more of a possibility when, after SHU had led by as much as seven points in the quarter, AU managed to cut the deficit to just one point (62-61) with under two minutes to go (they trailed by as much as 11 points earlier in the game).
But the Pirates then responded with a pair of 3-pointers, first from senior guard Jordana Codio, then from junior guard Savannah Catalon, to put the game out of reach, as the Pirates held on for a 69-63 win. Although it was a close contest down the stretch, SHU shot 6-for-12 (50%) from the field and 5-for-7 (71.4%) from 3-point range in the fourth quarter—a huge improvement from their last two games.
Codio scored nine of her 14 points in the fourth quarter, while shooting 3-for-4 (75%) from 3-point range in the game. This was the first game that Codio, as well as fellow senior guard Shailyn Pinkney, didn’t start this season, with head coach Anthony Bozzella expressing how impressed he was with the duo’s response to such after the game.
“We changed starting lineups for a variety of reasons, but [Codio] and [Pinkney] played like pros,” Bozzella said. “I’m really proud of [them both] because they played like winners today. They could have pouted and sulked, and they didn’t, and they played great, and when I needed them they both came through big time.”
He also praised Codio for her 3-pointer in the closing minutes of the game, saying she “buried it with confidence.”
“That says a lot about her as a person,” Bozzella said. “She could have lost confidence, [but she didn’t], and I know I didn’t either.”
Like Codio, Catalon also scored nine points in the fourth quarter. She finished the game with 15 points, while shooting 5-for-11 (45%) from the field and 4-for-6 (67%) from 3-point range. After saying the junior guard was “fantastic” in the game, Bozzella emphasized that he was not surprised with her performance whatsoever.
“I don’t want to say I’m impressed because it’s expected,” Bozzella said. “I know we can always rely on her.”
The praise didn’t stop there, however, as Bozzella also shed light on the kind of person Catalon is off the court by mentioning how she responded to the coaching staff's criticism of her after last game.
“I’m always impressed with her as a human being every single day,” Bozzella said. “We really got on her after the Columbia game for a variety of reasons—most of them were probably not even her fault. [But still,] every morning [it’s], ‘Good morning, Coach B. What do you need for this play? What should we do on this play?’ Her mom and dad are amazing people, and they’ve raised her to a certain standard for herself.”
“She’s one of the greatest people I’ve ever coached,” he added. “And I go to bed at night not being able to sleep most of the time—but she gets me to sleep because I know we have her.”
He also praised the team for sharing the ball so well in the game, with them recording 19 assists on 25 made field goals.
“That’s what we need to do,” Bozzella said. “That’s who Seton Hall basketball is, and that’s how we used to play, and that’s how we play—that’s what we do.”
With the win, the Pirates avoid a three-game losing streak and improve to 6-3 on the season. They have little time to celebrate the win (or play in the snow), however, as their next game is Tuesday, when they return to Walsh Gymnasium to host the Washington State University Cougars (1-10) in their last non-conference game of the season.
“Tuesday’s not gonna be an easy game,” Bozzella said. “[WSU's] a former Power Four team that has a lot of Power Four players, and are fantastically coached.”
“So [WSU’s] gonna be a great challenge for us—I don’t care what their record is,” Bozzella added.
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
