SETON HALL VS. MARQUETTE GAME NOTES (.pdf)
SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012 - MILWAUKEE, WIS.
AL McGUIRE CENTER - 8:00 PM
SETON HALL (7-9, 0-2) AT MARQUETTE (9-6, 0-2)
VIDEO STREAM: GOMARQUETTE.COM • RADIO: WSOU 89.5 FM
PIRATES' STATUS
Seton Hall dropped its fourth straight after a 74-36 defeat to the hands of #3 Notre Dame on Wednesday night. The Irish scored the first eight points of the contest and never looked back. The Pirates shooting woes continued as they could only convert on 27.9 percent from the field. SHU did cause last year's national runners-up some issues, forcing 21 turnovers and coming up with a season-high 13 steals in the game. Senior Jasmine Crew scored 17 hard-fought points against a physical ND defense.
GOLDEN EAGLES' STATUS
Marquette suffered a 70-53 loss to #14 Louisville at the Yum! Center on Tuesday night. Despite the defeat, the Golden Eagles have won five of their last seven contests, with their other defeat coming to #3 Notre Dame in early December. MU held the Cardinals to just 3-of-13 shooting to start the game, but Louisville found its stroke in the second half, converting on a 50 percent clip. Sarina Simmons led the way with 17 points for Marquette, while Apiew Oluju grabbed 10 rebounds.
FIVE-FINGER DISCOUNT
One of the bright spots for the Pirates against Notre Dame on Jan. 4 was forcing 21 turnovers. SHU registered a season-high 13 steals, including a career-high four from Alexis Brown.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
After struggling to find the range for three games, SHU finally found its shooting stroke in the second half at Memphis, converting on 18-of-27 (66.7 percent) from the field. Despite the improved offensive attack, a late rally came up short against the Tigers.
CREW IN ELITE COMPANY
Senior Jasmine Crew nearly single-handedly brought SHU back from a halftime deficit at Memphis after scoring the first 12 points of the second frame on her way to a game-high 33 points. It marks her second 30-plus point game of the year. She is just the second player in program history to have a pair of 30-point games in a season, joining Geraldine Saintilus who accomplished the feat in the 1988-89 season.
A CHANGE OF PACE
For the first time all season, the Pirates switched up their starting lineup. Freshman Alexis Brown made her first career start, replacing senior Tajay Ashmeade in the front court against Howard on Dec. 28.
BEAST OF THE BOARDS
Senior Tajay Ashmeade posted her third straight and fifth double-figure rebounding game of the season after grabbing a game-high 14 against Howard on Dec. 28. She averaged 17.3 rebounds during her dominant stretch and Ashmeade's 21 boards against William & Mary on Dec. 21 is tied for the highest by any BIG EAST player this season. She is the only current Pirate to have a double-figure rebounding game this season.
ALL THAT JAZZ
Sophomore Jazzmine Johnson made her season debut on Dec. 21 against William & Mary after missing the first 12 games of the season while recovering from offseason knee surgery. The guard scored two points in 16 minutes off the bench.
PIRATES DROWN SEAWOLVES
The Hall put together its best defensive effort of the season against Stony Brook on Dec. 17. The Pirates limited the Seawolves to just 11 field goals, which is the lowest total makes by an opponent since Nov. 25, 2001, when they held Sacramento State to nine field goals. Stony Brook was also 0-for-3 from downtown, which marked the first time since SHU did not allow a three-point goal since Jan. 3, 2009 against Notre Dame.
FAB FIVE
Against Stony Brook, Seton Hall had all five starters score in double-figures for the first time all season. It marks the first time a Pirate team had five players score 10 or more points since 2009 against Syracuse.
BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE
In the spirit of the holiday season, senior Jasmine Crew was in a giving mood in a pair of games late in December after averaging eight assists against Drexel and Stony Brook, including a career-best 10 to go with 22 points against Drexel on Dec. 12. It marked the first double-double of Crew's career.
