Seton Hall outlasts UT-Arlington, improves to 5-0

Shakena Richardson (Photo by John Jones – Double G Media)

Shakena Richardson led the No. 25 Seton Hall women’s basketball team with 14 points and six assists in a 61-54 win at UT-Arlington on Tuesday night at College Park Center. With the victory, The Hall improves to 5-0 for the first time since the 1992-93 season.

The Pirates led by as many as 18 in the third quarter and survived a furious late rally by the Lady Mavericks to secure the victory. Aleesha Powel had 13 points and seven of the Hall’s 15 steals, while Tiffany Jones and Tabatha Richardson-Smith both scored 12 to round out the top scorers. Jones led the Pirates with eight rebounds and added two blocks, finishing just shy of her second-straight double-double.

Seton Hall led by four after a quarter and opened up a 12-point lead at halftime thanks to a pair of Jones 3-pointers late in the second period. The Pirates extended their lead to 16 going into the fourth quarter, but an 11-0 run for UTA in the frame cut the lead to six in the game’s final minute. Amara Wainwright led the Lady Mavs with 13 points and Kamy Cole added 10 for UTA.

Seton Hall head coach Tony Bozzella was happy with his teams  performance to remain calm down the stretch.

“The ladies really fought down the stretch. This victory was about toughness. When we faced adversity, we came together and pulled it out.”

The Pirates will next head across the border to participate in the 2015 Cancun Challenge in Cancun, Mexico. The Hall is set to face North Carolina State on Thursday, Nov. 26 at 6:30 p.m. and Northern Iowa on Friday, Nov. 27 at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya.