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Seton Hall Athletics[/caption]
The Seton Hall women’s basketball team had a solid 71-47 exhibition victory over Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon at Walsh Gymnasium. The Pirates scored first and never looked back throughout the entire game.
The Pirates started off a bit slow, missing multiple simple shots and only scoring a total of 18 points in the first quarter. Head coach Tony Bozzella talked about the offensive struggles.
“We missed so many layups that we normally don’t miss,” the coach said.
Meanwhile, for the Rams, the only scorer to reach double-digits was guard Rachel Day, who scored all 12 of her points in the first half. Toward the end of the second quarter with Seton Hall up by 15, Day hit back-to-back shots from behind the arc to cut the lead down to single digits.
SHU forward Tiffany Jones responded with her own shot from distance, and the Pirates finished the half leading the Rams 42-29. After coming out of halftime with a sense of urgency on defense, the Pirates only let Philadelphia score a total of 18 points the rest of the game.
Jones led the way for the Pirates with a total of 16 points. The senior was efficient for the Hall, shooting 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
“I’ve just been working from the outside arc during my off time,” Jones said. “Just having confidence in my shot has been the biggest help for me.”
Jones also finished the game with eight rebounds, which drew praise from her coach.
“Tiffany Jones dominated the game and the defensive glass,” Bozzella said.
Another Seton Hall standout was Aleesha Powell. The senior finished the game with a total of nine points, two blocks and two steals.
“Her presence was tremendous, and I thought that her presence really turned the game around,” Bozzella said of Powell. “And when we started to press, it helped a lot but her defensive presence was a huge key in us being able to do what we needed to do.”
The Pirates return to action this Friday in their first regular-season match against Bryant. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. in Walsh Gymnasium.
Bryant McInerney can be reached at bryant.mcinerney@student.shu.edu
