Buccaneers Battle Back: St. Joe’s Secures Historic Win Over Marquette in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE, WIS. – Freshman Jada Eads (Orlando, Fla.) recorded a game-high 20 points, enabling the Seton Hall women’s basketball team to secure a 58-52 win against Marquette on Wednesday.
 
This marks the program’s first-ever victory in Milwaukee, breaking a 0-14 streak in away games at Marquette. The win raises The Hall’s record to an unblemished 4-0 on the road this season and 5-1 in BIG EAST Conference competition.
 
Eads concluded with a game-high 20 points, alongside five rebounds and three steals. Graduate student Faith Masonius (Spring Lake, N.J.) contributed 14 points and eight rebounds, while Ja’Kahla Craft (Elk River, Minn.) achieved a career-best 10 points, adding five rebounds and two steals.
 
THE NARRATIVE:
Lops netted the first basket of the match, but Marquette countered with a 9-0 streak to seize a significant early lead. Nevertheless, The Hall fought back and ended the opening quarter with a 9-3 surge. The Pirates trailed by just one despite shooting only 28.6 percent in the initial 10 minutes.
 
The Pirates raised their energy level at the start of the second quarter and kept Marquette scoreless until the 5:51 mark. During the Golden Eagles’ scoring drought, the Pirates executed a 12-0 run, featuring three-pointers from Craft and Amari Wright (Jacksonville, Fla.), to take a 23-12 lead. The Hall maintained its pressure, and a layup by Eads with 2:15 remaining in the first half provided the Pirates a commanding 30-15 edge. The Pirates headed into the halftime with a 34-21 lead after shooting 62.5 percent in the second quarter.
 
Masonius made a jumper to push The Hall’s lead to 16 points, yet Marquette answered with a 7-0 spurt, trimming Seton Hall’s lead to 39-30 with 6:23 left in the third quarter. The Pirates struggled shooting 3-for-17 in the third as the Golden Eagles clawed back into the contest. The Hall went into the final quarter with a 43-36 lead.
 
Marquette came out firing from three-point territory in the fourth quarter, hitting their first four attempts from beyond the arc to reduce their deficit to just three points, 55-52, with 2:33 remaining. Kaydan Lawson (Cleveland, Ohio) finished a broken play with a putback, extending The Hall’s lead to five points with 2:02 left as that turned out to be the last field goal of the match.
 
THE STATS:

• Seton Hall registered 24-for-63 (38.1%) from the field throughout the game, while Marquette connected on 19-for-54 (35.2%). The Hall was 5-for-17 (29.4%) from three-point territory, compared to the Golden Eagles’ 7-for-22 (31.8%).
• Eads achieved a game-high 20 points and completed 3-for-5 from three-point range. She also accumulated five rebounds and three steals.
• The Hall out-rebounded Marquette, 38-to-36, which encompassed a 14-to-11 edge on the offensive boards and a 7-to-6 lead in second-chance scoring.
• Masonius finished with 14 points, a season-best eight rebounds, and three assists.
• Seton Hall went 5-for-10 (50.0%) from the charity stripe, while Marquette made 7-for-8 (87.5%).
• Craft recorded a career-high 10 points shooting 4-for-6, along with five rebounds and two steals.
• Seton Hall forced 19 turnovers, while the Golden Eagles forced 13. The Hall had an 18-to-10 advantage in points scored off turnovers.
• Wright contributed four points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
• The Pirates scored 32 points in the paint, compared to 18 for Marquette.

THE FACTS:

• Seton Hall’s record improves to 13-4 overall and 5-1 in BIG EAST play, whereas Marquette falls to 11-6 overall and 3-3 in conference play.
• This win is the Pirates’ initial victory in program history at Marquette (1-14).
• The Hall now holds a 12-20 all-time record against the Golden Eagles and has lost four consecutive games in this matchup.
• This marks the 14^th occasion in 17 contests that the Pirates have forced more turnovers than their opponent.
• The Pirates achieved ten or more steals for the 13^th time this season.
• Eads surpassed 20 points for the fifth occasion this season.

NEXT ON THE AGENDA:
Seton Hall will return to competition on Sunday, January 19, as they head to Storrs, Conn. to confront the defending BIG EAST champions, Connecticut. The matchup is set for 1:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on SNY. As always, 89.5 FM WSOU or wsou.net will also provide coverage of the event.