Pirates Aim to Stay Hot at Home Against Howard

Published: Friday, December 6, 2024

by Jackson Shank

Seton Hall women’s basketball (5-2) continues their four-game homestand at Walsh Gymnasium when they take on the Howard Bison (5-3) Friday afternoon in South Orange.   

The Pirates enter tonight’s matchup following a 59-53 victory over the San Francisco Dons. Sophomore guard Savannah Catalon erupted for a career-high 26 points, shooting a scorching 6-for-11 from 3-point range, helping the Pirates hit a season-high 10 3-pointers. Catalon wasn’t the only Pirate to post a career high, as junior guard Shailyn Pinkney tallied 14 points, shooting 50% from the floor and grabbing four rebounds. 

If the Pirates want to keep good times rolling against the Bison this afternoon, they need to continue winning the turnover battle, creating more opportunities to score. Seton Hall has a +9.29 turnover margin, which ranks 14th in the country. The Pirates have excelled in forcing turnovers late in games, causing nine in the fourth quarter against the Dons and eight in the final four minutes against Cincinnati on Nov. 18. 

Offensively, the Pirates need to get their forwards back on track. Graduate forwards Faith Masonius and Yaya Lops combined for just six points. Each had individually scored fewer than six points only once this season, let alone being held to that total combined. Masonius and Lops should fare well against a Howard squad that was outscored in the paint 34-20 in its last matchup with BIG EAST rival Georgetown. 

One Bison Seton Hall will need to monitor in Friday’s matchup is graduate guard Destiny Howell. Howell missed the 2023-24 season with an injury but was the 2022-23 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year. She led the conference in scoring (16.8 points per game), 3-point percentage (.358), and 3-pointers made (2.8 per game). Howell is making a strong case for MEAC Comeback Player of the Year, averaging 17 points per game this season, including a 21-point performance against Georgetown last Sunday. 

Seton Hall’s matchup against Howard is set to be an exciting test of resilience for the Pirates during this homestand. If the Pirates can balance their explosive guard play with a resurgence from their forwards and maintain their defensive intensity, they’ll have a strong chance to defeat Howard tonight and further solidify themselves as contenders in the BIG EAST. This afternoon’s game will challenge their adaptability and depth as they aim to sail past the Bison. 

Pregame coverage on 89.5 FM WSOU will begin at 6:45 p.m. as Jack Pine and AJ Rayer break down the matchup before tipoff at 7 p.m., when Kyle Ferreira and Nick DiBlasi will have the call. 

Jackson Shank can be reached at jackson.shank@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: sports,