South Orange, N.J. — Seton Hall delivered a composed and commanding performance Sunday afternoon, pulling away from Xavier for a 75–55 victory at Walsh Gym behind a strong fourth-quarter surge.
Savannah Catalon paced the Pirates with 24 points, three steals, and two assists, providing timely scoring whenever momentum threatened to swing. Mariana Valenzuela made her mark after halftime, finishing with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds as Seton Hall asserted control late.
For much of the afternoon, the game was physical and disjointed. The first three quarters featured frequent whistles and uneven offensive rhythm, with neither team able to establish sustained separation. Xavier took advantage of a cold stretch by the Pirates early in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to 22–17 after Seton Hall went scoreless for nearly four minutes.
A jumper by Codio briefly pushed the Pirates’ lead back to double digits, but the Musketeers closed the half on a 10–3 run, cutting Seton Hall’s advantage to just 30–27 at the break.
The turning point came late in the third quarter. With the score knotted at 39, Seton Hall unleashed a 10–2 run fueled by Catalon, who knocked down two clutch three-pointers. Her second triple put the Pirates up 49–41 with 28 seconds remaining in the period. Xavier answered with a basket at the buzzer, but Seton Hall still carried a six-point edge into the fourth.
From there, the Pirates took over. Seton Hall outscored Xavier 26–12 in the final quarter, playing with poise and confidence while tightening up defensively. Catalon scored nine of her points in the fourth, and Valenzuela controlled the paint as the Pirates steadily extended the margin.
Despite Xavier’s efforts, Seton Hall never panicked during the Musketeers’ runs and maintained control throughout. Vivien Nejasmić led Xavier with 15 points and six rebounds.
Seton Hall finished the game shooting an efficient 46.8 percent from the floor (22-for-47) and an impressive 58.8 percent from beyond the arc (10-for-17). Xavier shot 38.9 percent overall (21-for-54) and struggled from three-point range, connecting on just 29.2 percent (7-for-24).
The late offensive explosion and defensive discipline allowed Seton Hall to turn a tightly contested game into a convincing home victory.
