South Orange, NJ—Creighton established control early and never fully let it go.
Seton Hall women’s basketball was upset at home as the Blue Jays defeated the Pirates 72-66 in a Big East Conference matchup at Walsh Gymnasium.
Seton Hall entered the afternoon riding momentum after a 58-52 win over Georgetown a few days ago, while Creighton came in fresh off a dominant 81-51 victory over St. John’s. The Pirates (15-7, 9-4 Big East) had also defeated the Blue Jays 88-79 earlier this season on Dec. 22, snapping a decade-long drought at DJ Sokol Arena. This time, however, Creighton flipped the script.
From the opening possession, the Blue Jays dictated the tempo with aggressive on-ball pressure and crisp ball movement, immediately disrupting Seton Hall’s offensive rhythm. Although senior guard Jordana Codio opened the scoring with an and-one in the paint, the Pirates struggled to settle in, committing several turnovers in the first five minutes. Creighton capitalized, holding Seton Hall to 15 first-quarter points and building a six-point lead.
“Creighton dictated the tempo from the first play of the game,” head coach Anthony Bozzella said.
Despite efforts from Codio and junior guard Savannah Catalon, the Pirates were unable to regain the lead after the opening quarter. Codio and Catalon carried much of the offensive load against a relentless Blue Jay defense, with Codio finishing as the game’s leading scorer with 20 points and six rebounds, and Catalon adding 15 points.
Bozzella praised Codio’s effort following the game.
“She’s playing like an all-conference player, like I knew she would,” Bozzella said. “Not only that, her effort is through the roof.”
Seton Hall’s offensive issues carried into the second quarter. Back-to-back three-pointers from Kennedy Townsend and Neleigh Gessert pushed Creighton’s advantage to 27-17 and forced the Pirates into catch-up mode. Seton Hall found a brief offensive spark midway through the quarter, as Catalon knocked down two triples and Codio continued to attack the paint, pulling the Pirates within striking distance.
Creighton, however, remained lethal from beyond the arc. Townsend and Gessert continued to stretch the floor, and the Blue Jays maintained control heading into the break with a 45-39 lead.
The second half told a different story from long range.
“We changed the coverages on defense,” Bozzella said. “I thought we adjusted really well. They only made two threes in the second half.”
Catalon opened the third quarter with a tough, contested drive to the basket, and both teams began to battle inside. Seton Hall clawed its way back, trading points in the paint and trimming the deficit to three late in the period. Despite the push, the Pirates entered the fourth quarter trailing 60-55.
Creighton regained momentum early in the final period, quickly stretching the lead to 12. Seton Hall refused to fold. A timely three from senior guard Shailyn Pinkney and two free throws from Codio cut the margin to five with just over three minutes remaining. Moments later, Codio came up with a steal and converted a fastbreak layup to bring the Pirates within three with under a minute to play.
Seton Hall had chances to tie or take the lead down the stretch, but could not convert on its final possessions. Creighton maintained control of the ball over the final 15 seconds, forcing the Pirates to foul and sealing the 72-66 win at the free-throw line.
Bozzella pointed to execution and discipline as the difference late.
“We’ve got to do a better job of getting [graduate forward Mariana Valenzuela] open, and we’ve got to do a better job of finding her,” Bozzella said. “And we’ve got to stay out of foul trouble.”
Despite the setback, Bozzella emphasized respect for Creighton’s performance and confidence in his team moving forward.
“You see Creighton today, you know they’re a really good team,” he said. “People say, ‘you lost.’ No — they won. There’s a difference.”
Seton Hall’s loss dropped the Pirates to 15-7 overall and 9-4 in Big East play. They will look to bounce back on Feb. 7, when they travel to Carnesecca Arena to face St. John’s.
