On Monday afternoon, the BIG EAST named Seton Hall women’s basketball’s Zahara Bishop its Freshman of the Week, her second time receiving the award this season.
Sophomore guard Ja’Kahla Craft also earned conference recognition, landing on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after a perfect shooting performance in the Pirates’ 96-74 home win over DePaul on Valentine's Day. These awards come as the Pirates continue to push toward their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2015-16 season.
Bishop provided a huge spark off the bench for the Pirates in their two conference wins this week. The freshman guard averaged 13.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game during the week. Her best outing came in a 70-58 road win at Marquette on Feb. 11, when she scored a game-high 20 points in just 21 minutes. She shot 6-for-9 from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point range, while also grabbing six rebounds.
Bishop followed up her performance with seven points in SHU’s 96 to 72 victory over DePaul on Saturday, helping secure another important conference win for the Pirates. Bishop’s scoring ability has made her one of the conference’s most impactful freshmen. Her scoring off the bench has given the Pirates a major boost throughout the season, as they battle for a spot in March Madness.
Craft earned Honor Roll after delivering the most efficient scoring performances in program history. In the Pirates’ win over DePaul, she scored a career high 26 points while shooting a perfect 11-for-11 from the field and 4-for-4 from three-point range. Her shooting helped fuel one of The Hall’s strongest offensive performances of the season.
The Pirates have a 17- 8 overall record and an 11-5 record in BIG EAST play, placing the team third in the conference standings, behind Villanova and powerhouse No. 1 UConn. With only a few weeks left in the regular season, every conference win is huge for SHU’s NCAA Tournament hopes.
SHU will try to keep their strong play going when they play next on Feb. 18 at 6:30 at Xavier. The Pirates are playing some of their best basketball of the year at the right time, and if they can keep this momentum, The Hall could finally break their NCAA tournament drought and secure a spot in March Madness.
Jaden Highsmith is the assistant editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at jaden.highsmith@student.shu.edu.
