FRI., NOV. 27, 2009 - BROOKLYN, N.Y. - W.R.A. CENTER - 4:00 PM
SETON HALL (3-2)
vs.
GEORGIA TECH (2-1)
AUDIO: 89.5 FM WSOU
SERIES HISTORY
FIRST MEETING 11/29/86
RESULT GT, 72-65
SERIES RECORD GT, 2-0
CURRENT STREAK GT W2
RECORD AT NEUTRAL SITE N/A
A LOOK AT THE YELLOW JACKETS
Head Coach MaChelle Joseph
Record at GT (Years) 108-77 (7)
Career Record (Years) 108-77 (7)
Conference ACC
Current Streak W1
Last Five 2-1
Leading Scorer Mo Bennett (11.7)
Leading Rebounder Chelsea Regins (9.3)
Last Season 22-10, 8-6
Georgia Tech owns wins over Winthrop and Florida Gulf Coast, with its lone defeat coming at Oklahoma State. Mo Bennett (11.7 ppg) and Brigitte Ardossi (10.0 ppg) are the only Jackets averaging double figures. Tech has been dominant on the boards, posting a 16.0 rebound per game edge over its opponents to date.
HELLO BROOKLYN
Seton Hall and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will meet in Brooklyn, N.Y. in the opening round of the LIU Turkey Classic. The Brown Bears face the Long Island Blackbirds, the host school, on the other side of the bracket. Brown is 2-2 thus far with wins over Bryant and Central Connecticut State. Long Island has won two straight to even its record on the year after falling to LaSalle and Columbia to open.
EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
The Pirates are 4-6 over their last 10 games in the state of New York, with a pair of wins at both Iona and Syracuse. Seton Hall has not played at LIU since 1981.
SO AMBITIOUS
In 2009-10, junior Ebonie Williams is making a run at the school records for both three-pointers in a career and in a single season. With her three three-pointers at Rhode Island, Williams brings her career total to 101, tying for fifth place at Seton Hall. Williams is just three behind Jadis Rhodin for fouth place, and 55 back of Jodi Brooks for the all-time school mark. She has 14 trifectas through five games this year; Brooks holds the single-season mark with 56 in 1993-94. Williams remains the best free throw shooter in school history with a mark of 83.0 percent.
LOST ONE
For the first time this season, the Pirates lost the battle of the boards against Rhode Island. The Rams finished with a 37-35 edge on the glass and held the Hall without an individual double-figure effort in rebounding for just the second time this season.
ON TO THE NEXT ONE
The Pirates came back strong in the consolation game of the Anaconda Sports "The Rock" SHU Classic, thrashing Arkansas State, 76-52. Freshmen Alexandra Maseko and Brittany Morris made their collegiate debuts in the contest, with Morris netting four points.
A STAR IS BORN
Sophomore Kandice Green made the SHU Classic All-Tournament team with a strong two-day performance that included a pair of double-doubles. After setting a career-high with 16 rebounds to go along with 14 points against Morgan State, Green notched 16 points, 11 boards and a career-high four steals against Arkansas State.
CLAP FOR 'EM
Several Pirates set new career-highs in the win over Arkansas State: senior Letita Curry with 10 rebounds, sophomore Kandice Green with four steals, sophomore Shanai Heber with seven assists, sophomore Whitney Wood with five rebounds and four assists, and freshman Terry Green with 10 points.
ALREADY HOME
For the first time since losing to Florida in the 2005-06 season, Seton Hall fell in its home opener when Morgan State escaped with a 58-55 win at Walsh Gymnasium in the opening round of the Anaconda Sports "The Rock" SHU Classic. The Pirates wasted little time in reclaiming their turf, disposing of Arkansas State easily in the consolation round, 76-52.
TOURNAMENT STREAK ENDS AT FOUR
Seton Hall had won its last four in-season tournaments, including the last two SHU Classics, before falling to Morgan State in the opening round this year. The Pirates are now 14-4 all-time in the Classic with five tournament titles.
CLUTCH COMEBACK
Facing a four-point deficit in the final minute and having never led in the game, Seton Hall's Ebonie Williams took over. After cutting the deficit to two with a jumper with 58 seconds to go, Williams drained a step-back three-pointer with 14 seconds to go to put the Pirates in front, 53-52. One more defensive stop sealed the dramatic victory.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DOUBLE
Senior Nicole Emery totaled 16 points and 12 rebounds, while sophomore Kandice Green had 11 points and 13 rebounds, giving Seton Hall two players with double-doubles. The Pirates last accomplished the feat in last year's regular season finale, when Green and Noteisha Womack both doubled up.
EMERY BOARDS
Senior Nicole Emery set a new career-high with 12 rebounds at Marshall on her way to her first double-double as a Pirate.
TWO FOR THE ROAD
The Pirates started the season with two true road games for the first time since 1999-00. That year, as it did this year as well, the Hall won both contests, defeating Richmond and DePaul.
A TEAM EFFORT
Seton Hall had contributions from all over in its win at Rider. Seven on the nine players who saw action grabbed four or more rebounds, helping the Pirates to a 42-37 edge overall. The Hall benefitted from 11 points off the bench as well as seven players recording at least one steals. Of the Pirates' 21 baskets, 12 were assisted.
WILLIAMS DOESN'T MISS A BEAT
Junior Ebonie Willams paced the Pirates, as expected, with 18 points in the season-opening win over Rider. Williams was the team's leading scorer as both a freshman and a sophomore. Ozelina Gorham (1978-82) is the only player in Seton Hall history to lead the team in scoring every year of her career.
GREEN DEBUTS
Freshman Terry Green debuted in fine fashion against Rider, eight points, four rebounds and a team-high three steals in 19 minutes. Green was 2-of-3 from three-point land.
SEASON OPENERS
Seton Hall is 28-9 all-time in season openers, with an 19-6 mark under the leadership of Phyllis Mangina after defeating Rider to begin the 2009-10 season. The Pirates have won their last three opening games.
DEJA VU
For the second straight season and fourth time overall, the Pirates opened their campaign with a game against Rider. Seton Hall has won each contest and is 7-0 all-time against the Broncs. For the third consecutive year, the Pirates faced an opponent from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in their season opener, with Manhattan kicking things off in 2007-08. Seton Hall has won seven straight against teams from the MAAC.
STARTING ON THE ROAD
Seton Hall played its season opener away from home for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign, when it fell to Kansas in the WBCA/Metrosports Classic, 64-50, in Kansas City, Mo. Prior to that game, the last opener on the road came in the 1999-00 season when the Pirates defeated Richmond, 83-81. The Hall has played just seven season openers away from home under Phyllis Mangina.
IT'S THE ROCK
The Pirates will play a pair of home games at Prudential Center for the second straight season. Seton Hall will face Saint Peter's on Dec. 19 as part of a doubleheader with the men's program before hosting defending national champion Connecticut on Jan. 2.
CURRY RETURNS
After missing the 2008-09 season due to injury, senior Letitia Curry returns to the Pirates' lineup for her final year of eligibility.
COMING BACK
The Pirates return 62.0 percent of their scoring and 58.3 percent of their rebounding from last season's squad. Junior guard Ebonie Williams, the team's leading scorer in each of her first two years, is back after posting 13.2 points per night last season. Sophomore Kandice Green, a member of the BIG EAST All-Freshman team in 2008-09, is the top returning rebounder after grabbing 6.6 per game in her rookie campaign.
ROOKIE TRIO
Three freshmen populate the 2009-10 Pirates' roster. Guard Britanny Morris and forwards Terry Green and Alexandra Maseko will all make their debuts in blue and white this season.
A NEW CREW ON THE SHIP
Jasmine Crew has joined the women's basketball program after playing her first two years at Northeastern. Crew will sit out the 2009-10 season in accordance with NCAA transfer regulations. She was a Second Team All-Colonial selection as a sophomore after leading the Huskies with 13.9 points and 3.2 assists.
GRACE ADDED TO STAFF
There is one new member on Phyllis Mangina's coaching staff this season, as Ty Grace enters her first year with the Pirates. Grace comes to South Orange after a successful three-year run at Army. She has also served as an assistant at Fairleigh Dickinson as well as the head coach at Ramapo College.
PIRATES TABBED 14TH
For the second straight season, Seton Hall was picked to finish 14th in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches Poll. Connecticut was the unanimous choice to take the league title, led by Preseason Player of the Year Maya Moore. Skylar Diggins of Notre Dame was chosen as the Preseason Freshman of the Year.
PIRATES SIGN FIVE FOR 2010-11
Head coach Phyllis Mangina has inked five student-athletes to national letters of intent for next season, including a pair of top-60 recruits. Elaine Swaby (Paterson, N.J.), a 6-1 forward from John F. Kennedy High School, is ranked 43rd overall and sixth among power forwards in the ESPNU HoopGurlz 100. Ka-Deidre Simmons (Newark, N.J.), a 5-8 point guard from Malcolm X. Shabazz High School, is the 53rd ranked player overall and 16th at her position. Nicosia Henry (Bolingbrook, Ill.), a 6-0 small forward from Bolingbrook High School, is the 20th ranked wing player by HoopGurlz. Jazzmine Johnson (Glen Dale, Md.), a 5-8 guard from Riverdale Baptist High School, checks in as the 69th ranked shooting guard. Tiffani Blackman (Toledo, Ohio), a 5-11 guard from Toledo Central Catholic, is ranked 112th among shooting guards in the class of 2010.
TELEVISION SCHEDULE
The Pirates will play in a pair of televised games as part of the BIG EAST's ever-growing package. On Jan. 12, the Hall's contest with St. John's will be aired live on CBS College Sports. The Jan. 30 game at Villanova will be shown on tape delay on SNY.
FOLLOW THE PIRATES!
New this season, all home Seton Hall women's basketball games will be streamed live on Hall Pass at SHUPirates.com. In addition to the video component, Jon Schaeffer will call all the action in his first year as a member of the Hall's broadcast family.
2010 BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2010 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Championship will once again be held at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., on March 5-9. For the second straight year, all 16 teams will be invited.
Courtesy: Seton Hall Athletic Communications
