Seton Hall Pirates Looking to Build Off Momentum

Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Photo by John Jones – Double G Media)

Looking to ride the momentum of a 28-point win over Rutgers on Monday, the Seton Hall women’s basketball team hosts No. 24 Princeton on Thursday night at Walsh Gym. The contest will tip at 7 p.m. and be nationally televised on FS2.

The Pirates and Tigers are meeting for the first time since the second round of the 2014 WNIT at Walsh, a thrilling 75-74 victory for The Hall.Seton Hall followed a 93-57 win its season opener last Friday with a 77-49 victory over Rutgers on Monday night

The Hall is playing its second-consecutive game on FS2 against an in-state opponent that reached the 2015 NCAA Tournament

Tiffany Jones tied a career-high with 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, knocking down a personal-best four 3-pointers against Rutgers and head coach Tony Bozzella won his 50th game in his 70th contest overall at The Hall, becoming the fastest coach in program history to reach the half-century mark.

The Tigers also enter Thursday’s contest with a 2-0 record, picking up victories over American and Duquesne by an average margin of 33.0 points. Princeton went 31-1 last season and is ranked No. 24 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll.

Annie Tarakchian is the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week after averaging 19.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in the Tigers’ 2-0 start. Princeton is averaging 48.0 rebounds per game and holds a +19.5 rebounding margin through two games.

The Hall has averaged 1,380 fans per game this season, filling Walsh to 83.4 percent capacity. If it draws over 1,000 fans on Thursday, it will mark the first time in the Bozzella era that attendance has risen past 1,000 in three-straight home contests.