Pirates Looking to Bounce Back Against Struggling St. John’s

Published: Saturday, January 25, 2025

by CJ Weipz

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall Pirates (13-5, 5-2) sail home this Saturday to take on the St. John’s Red Storm (11-8, 1-7), with both teams heading into this one following two tough losses.  

The Pirates are coming off of a 60-point routing in the basketball capital of the world, at the hands of the number six ranked team in the country, the UConn Huskies. The 96-36 loss was the Pirate’s worst of the season, with their last loss of over 20 points coming back in December when they fell to the LSU Tigers, 91-64.  

The offense had a tough time going, shooting only 22% from the field along with 15% from three-point range, both season lows for the squad. Messiah Hunter tied her career high with seven points, and Jada Eads notched another double-digit point performance with 14 points; neither were enough to overcome UConn’s 17-32 shooting from deep.  

On a positive note, the Pirates are undefeated in games coming off losses this year, and look to continue that streak against a St. John’s team that has yet to find their footing in the BIG EAST this season.  

The Johnnies lost to Georgetown on Wednesday night by a score of 56-54, falling to 1-7 in conference play. Three of the Red Storm’s five starters reached double figures, including preseason all-conference selection Ber’Nyah Mayo who added 11 points and four boards in the effort.  

Yet this St. John’s squad boasts one of the best defenses in the country, with their scoring defense ranked 18th in the nation. Lashae Dwyer leads the way with 61 steals this season, ranking first in the BIG EAST. Dwyer also leads the team in scoring, recording an average of 13.5 points per game, making her the only Johnnie to average double figures this year.  

The keys to look out for in this one are all surrounding the backcourt. Jada Eads has been the focal point of this Seton Hall offense since Savannah Catalon went down with an injury at the end of the non-conference slate, and since then has cemented herself as an all-conference scorer. However, she has also averaged over 2.6 turnovers in that time. Her matchup with Dwyer is the key for both squads to control the pace of play.

Additionally, be on the lookout for Penn State transfer, Kylie Lavelle, for the Johnnies. Lavelle is top-10 in the conference in blocks per game and has been an incredibly efficient scorer down low, ranking top-15 in the conference in player efficiency rating (PER). While both the Pirates and the Red Storm need to smooth out their rebounding, Lavelle is a key piece for the Red Storm frontcourt that could make a massive impact on the game.  

Tip-off is set for 1:00 P.M. in Walsh Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. You can catch all the action on 89.5 FM WSOU, the flagship station for Seton Hall Women’s Basketball.  

CJ Weipz is an Assistant Sports Director at WSOU and can be reached at christopher.weipz@student.shu.edu. 

 

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