Katherine Cahalin/Staff Photographer
The women’s basketball team earned their 17th win Sunday defeating the DePaul Blue Demons by a 107-87 final. The win gives the Pirates a first place standing in the Big East conference, advances their record to 17-2 and 6-1 in conference play, and gives the Pirates a spot in the record books, scoring the most points in a single-season game by the program.
DePaul maintained a close lead from early on in the game. The Blue Demons made eight three pointers within the first eight minutes of the first half, making it difficult for the Pirates to take the lead. “They [DePaul] were making so many threes, but the most they had was a seven point lead,” head coach Tony Bozzella said. “It could have been really ugly but we stayed with it, we stayed the course and we didn’t give up which was huge.”
Another factor that made it difficult for the Pirates to take control over the game was turnovers. DePaul was able to score 21 points alone on Pirate turnovers. “If we eliminate the turnovers when we play them next time, we could score a lot more,” Bozzella said.
It wasn’t until a three-pointer from Ka-Deidre Simmons at 6:52 gave the Pirates their first lead of the game at 41-38. The Pirates then advanced their lead to six points with shots from Daisha Simmons and Kathleen Egan.
The Pirates ended the half with a three point lead over the Blue Demons. Tabitha Richardson-Smith and Ka-Deidre Simmons both racked up points in the double digits in the first half alone; K. Simmons with 16 and Richardson-Smith with 26.
Entering the second half, the Blue Demons brought the game to a 57-57 tie with a three pointer from sophomore guard Jessica January. It didn’t take long for Seton Hall to bring the lead back. Ka-Deidre Simmons took it back for the Pirates with a quick layup. The Pirates maintained their lead for the rest of the game, leading the Blue Demons by as much as twenty points at the end of the game.
DePaul struggled to catch up to Seton Hall late in the second half after Jessica January fouled out with five minutes to play.
Richardson-Smith, K. Simmons, and D. Simmons all exited the game to standing ovations and points in double digits. Richardson-Smith with 35, K. Simmons with 28, and D. Simmons with 25.
The Pirates will travel to Villanova on Friday to take on the Villanova Wildcats, a match up coach Bozzella describes as “a very well-coached team in a difficult road game.” Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Olivia Mulvihill can be reached at olivia.mulvihill@student.shu.edu or on twitter @OliviaMulvihill.
