After travelling to Washington, DC, in chilling weather, Seton Hall women’s basketball came out with a 58-52 victory over the Georgetown Hoyas (12-9, 5-7 BIG EAST) in a valiant defensive effort. The win puts the Pirates back in the win column after their loss to No. 1 UConn on Jan. 24, improving their record to 15-6 on the season and 9-3 in BIG EAST conference play.
Junior guard Savannah Catalon and graduate forward Mariana Valenzuela opened up the quarter scoring the team’s first 13 points before going into their first timeout at the 4:46 mark. Valenzuela took advantage of Georgetown’s 3-2 zone defense to get to the rim, scoring eight of her game-high 19 points in the paint with some additional free throws being aggressive all game.
Just like their offense, the Pirates’ defense started off the game aggressive, pressuring the Hoyas right as they crossed halfcourt. The common trend in the game for The Hall was to trap Georgetown every chance they had, forcing jump balls and turnovers. SHU tallied up 16 total points off of turnovers, with them constantly applying pressure defensively all game.
The Pirates first quarter scoring is what kept them afloat all game. Outscoring Georgetown 22-16 at the end of the first, both teams scored a combined total of 19 points in the second quarter, with SHU going into halftime with a 31-26 lead.
SHU started the second half slow, allowing the Hoyas to go on a 7-3 run to take the lead 35-34 going into the first timeout of the quarter at 4:42.
In just two and a half minutes coming out of the timeout, Valenzuela and sophomore guard Ja’Khala Craft go on a run for the Pirates. Craft hit a three-pointer with Valenzuela scoring back-to-back layups forcing Georgetown to take a timeout.
Heading into the fourth quarter, SHU was trailing 42-41. The game took a turn when Catalon drove to the basketball, drawing the contact and fouling out Georgetown forward Brianna Scott—their best defensive player.
By Catalon doing so, it allowed the paint to become wide open for the Pirates, with them scoring eight unanswered points afterward. While going on this run SHU held Georgetown scoreless until just 3:48 was left in the game. As Georgetown started to pick up the pace offensively down the stretch, Catalon closed out the game from the free throw line, where she has thrived all season. She scored seven points in the fourth all at the free throw line, shooting 9-for-10 (90%) overall.
The junior guard also added a team-high three steals for the game, while leading the Pirates’ defense with her intensity from start to finish.
With the win,SHU now turns their attention to defending their home court when they host the Creighton Bluejays (9-12, 5-7 BIG EAST) at Walsh Gymnasium on Feb. 1. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m., as the Pirates look to spark another winning streak to finish their last month of conference play strong.
Jayden Bracket is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at jayden.bracket@student.shu.edu.
