South Orange, N.J. – Freshman Jada Eads led the charge for Seton Hall, scoring a game-high 26 points, but the undermanned Pirates were defeated by Marquette, 68-61, in a tough matchup at Walsh Gymnasium on Wednesday.
The Seton Hall squad faced significant challenges, with several key players sidelined due to illness, including starting guard Savannah Catalon (Mansfield, Texas).
In their earlier victory over Marquette in Milwaukee on January 15, Seton Hall had out-rebounded the Golden Eagles, who were leading the BIG EAST in rebounds at the time. However, in this game, Marquette controlled the glass, out-rebounding The Hall 41-28, with a dominant 10-2 edge in the first 12 rebounds of the game.
Eads was the standout performer for Seton Hall, finishing with 26 points on 10-for-21 shooting, including 4-for-11 from beyond the arc. Graduate student Kaydan Lawson, who was making her first start of the season, contributed 10 points and grabbed three rebounds.
Game Recap:
The game began with Marquette quickly jumping out to a 10-2 lead, taking advantage of a slow start from Seton Hall, which was clearly affected by their injury-depleted roster. However, the Pirates responded with a surge of their own, led by Eads, who scored 12 of her 26 points in the opening quarter, shooting 5-for-7 from the field.
Despite being out-rebounded 13-4 in the first period, Seton Hall managed to stay close, trailing 16-14 by the end of the quarter.
The Pirates fell behind 21-14 early in the second quarter, but a 7-0 run helped them tie the game at 21, thanks to a jumper from Emma Masonius. Marquette quickly answered with a 6-0 run to regain a six-point advantage, 27-21.
However, Seton Hall showed resilience and fought back, with Eads hitting a three-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to tie the game at 30.
After the break, a free throw by Lawson gave Seton Hall its first lead of the game, 33-32, and she followed it up with a three-pointer to extend the lead to four points. But Marquette came back with an 11-0 run to pull ahead 44-38 with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Eads and Amari Wright each hit a three-pointer to tie the game again at 44 with 2:03 left in the third, but Marquette closed the quarter with a 10-0 run to take control.
In the fourth quarter, despite foul trouble and trailing by as many as 12 points, Seton Hall fought until the end. A three-pointer from Yaya Lops with 1:39 left brought The Hall within five, at 64-59.
Lawson then had a chance to cut the deficit to two with a potential game-changing three-pointer, but the shot rimmed out. Marquette sealed the victory with free throws down the stretch.
Key Stats:
- Seton Hall shot 39.7% from the field (23-for-58), while Marquette finished at 47.2% (25-for-53).
- The Pirates were 8-for-24 (33.3%) from three-point range, while Marquette struggled with a 3-for-17 (17.6%) performance.
- Eads led all scorers with 26 points, shooting 10-for-21 from the field and 4-for-11 from three-point range.
- Marquette out-rebounded Seton Hall 41-28, including a 12-8 advantage on the offensive boards and a 10-7 lead in second-chance points.
- Lawson added 10 points and three rebounds for the Pirates.
- Seton Hall was 7-for-12 (58.3%) from the free-throw line, compared to 15-for-24 (62.5%) for Marquette.
- Seton Hall forced 15 turnovers, while Marquette forced 13. Marquette outscored Seton Hall 15-11 in points off turnovers.
Notable Achievements:
- Seton Hall falls to 17-7 overall and 9-4 in BIG EAST play, while Marquette improves to 16-8 overall and 8-5 in the conference.
- The Pirates are now 12-21 in their all-time series against Marquette, with both teams winning on the road in their 2024-25 home-and-home series.
- Seton Hall’s defense continues to shine, as the team has forced more turnovers than its opponent in 20 of 24 games this season.
- Wright recorded three assists, moving past former Pirate Christine Koren into sixth place on Seton Hall’s all-time assist list with 390.
- Wright also became just the eighth player in Seton Hall history to reach 200 career steals.
Up Next:
Seton Hall will next take to the road for a BIG EAST matchup against Providence on Sunday, February 16. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. ET and will be available for streaming via the BIG EAST Digital Network and FloSports. Fans can also tune into 89.5 FM WSOU or wsou.net for live radio coverage.
