Courtesy of David Siegrist

Seton Hall Pirates Overwhelmed by No. 11 Villanova in Season Finale

On Monday night, the Seton Hall Pirates (17-13) took on the No. 11 Villanova Wildcats (26-5) and suffered a disappointing loss at home, 83-56. In the season finale, it began hopefully and exciting for the Pirates because right after tip-off, the Pirates began applying immense pressure on the Wildcats. Possibly, more than the Wildcats initially expected heading into this game. 

After the disappointing loss, the Pirates are turning their attention toward Xavier University. In their last 21 appearances, the Pirates have won 18 out of the 21 games. That being said, the Pirates are set to play the Musketeers on Mar. 3 in the Big East Tournament.

“That was a disappointing game, we didn’t want to end the season how we ended it,” Seton Hall Pirates HC Tony Bozella expressed in the post-game. “Hopefully we’ll be able to bounce back and play a lot better in our next game.”

The Pirates Contain Maddy Siegrist in First Half

Seton Hall were phenomenal defensively and began the game with amazing energy and even managed to hold one of the leading scorers in the country Villanova PF Maddy Siegrist to four points in the first quarter. At the beginning of the game, the Pirates were physical and rotated on defense quickly while also causing turnovers and forced Seigrist out of rhythm, however Villanova point-guard, Maddie Burke picked up the slack and help the Wildcats keep the lead, 19-12.

In the first half, Seton Hall kept playing aggressively and physical toward Siegrist in order to force her out of rhythm. Ultimately, the Pirates held her to eight points at halftime, however they allowed the Wildcats to shoot 54% from the field. Although they prioritized Containing Seigrist, the Pirates allowed several other players to gauge their defense. This led to the Pirates trailing at halftime by 15, 38-23.

“The first quarter, I think we battled her and was physical with her and I’m not sure if it was fatigue,” Bozella explained. “Villanova was patient and got her shots and we really struggled with that.”

Villanova Proves to be Overwhelming for the Pirates 

Early in the third quarter, the Wildcats appeared to come out with more energy and aggressiveness. It appeared the Wildcats allowed the Pirates to give them their best shot, in order to tire them out. The Pirates appeared fatigued and played with a lack of energy. The Wildcats utilized a lot of high pick-and-roll action allowing Siegrist to get a ton of one on ones in the paint and on the outside wing. The Wildcats' offense allowed Siegrist to gain her rhythm and draw fouls leading to the free throw line. She ended the quarter with 16 points after being held to just eight in the first half. At the end of the game, Siegrist recorded 32 points and six rebounds and ended with the highest plus/minus on the court.

“After the first quarter, we let them [Villanova] shoot over 50% in each of the other quarters,” Bozzella emphasized. “We tried to adjust our defense but we didn’t match their intensity and continued to play tentatively.” 

Overall, the Pirates will be losing several key components to their team this season, however they have tons to build on. Although this game didn’t go as planned for the Pirates, they have an opportunity to secure a high seeding rapidly nearing March Madness.