While it may not have been the results wanted by the Mount St. Mary’s women's basketball team, it was a hard-fought game against Seton Hall University. On Nov. 9, the Mountaineers played their opening game of the season at Seton Hall’s Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange, N.J. and lost 81-68.
When the first quarter buzzer sounded, Seton Hall came out shooting right away from behind the arch. The Pirates’ first three points were made from three pointers. The first quarter was a tight back and forth game. Seton Hall Guard Andra Espinoza-Hunter made the first nine points of the game for the Pirates, getting the three-ball going early. The Mountaineers bounced back and were able to tie the game with nine straight points being made. In the remaining three minutes of the first quarter, Seton Hall went on a little eight to four run to pull ahead of Mount after the quarter.
In the first three minutes and 30 seconds of the game, the Pirates sank eight points, but the Mount retaliated by making five. The score was then 28-25 in favor of Seton Hall. Trouble for the Mountaineers, however, when the Pirates went on to score 15 unanswered points for the next six minutes of the game. Mount was able to end this run by finally making a basket with a little over a minute left in the first half. At the end of the half, Seton Hall was up 45-29. Mount St. Mary’s was outscored in the second half 21-9.
Coming into the second half, Mount came out knowing they needed to be aggressive. The first five points of the third quarter were made by Mount Guard Machaela Harrison. This cut the deficit down to 11 points. From that point on, the game went back and forth. The lead would eventually be cut down to nine points with a little over three minutes left in the quarter. This would be the closest the Mountaineers would get to the Pirates. At the end of the third quarter, Seton Hall was up 61-50.
In the last quarter, the Mountaineers went down 13 points with a little under seven minutes left in the game. Mount was able to go on a little run and cut the lead down to only eight points. Getting to the basket and being aggressive made the Pirates foul and put Mount at the free throw line.
Two late free throws by Mount Guard Kendall Bresee and a clutch jump shot made by Mount Guard Jessica Tomasetti would then cut the lead to six. The Mountaineers were trying to mount a comeback with a little over three minutes left in the game with the score being 72-66. Unfortunately, momentum shifted back into Seton Hall’s favor. The Pirates would go on to outscore Mount in the ending minutes and win 81-68.
When asked what could be done better for the next game, Assistant Coach Kelsey Funderburgh said, “Rewarding ourselves and getting on the offense. We came out and played hard, wish we would've executed better especially our offense.” As for the next game, Coach Funderburgh plans the team will “get better if they pay attention to the little details, better communication, running better offense, and making the right read.”
The Mountaineers take on the University of Valley Forge in their next game on Nov. 13. They will be hoping to put this loss behind them and get their first win of the season.
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