Villanova 62, Seton Hall 57: Ray Floriani's Photo Essay

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ ­-- This is what conference play is all about. The Seton Hall women trailed by 22 points. They made a run, got the stops, scored, and suddenly it was a two-possession game in the stretch. Ultimately, they fell short, losing to Villanova 62­-57. 

Coaches will never accept, nor in many cases, even discuss moral victories. In this case, there was the sign of effort, the resilience and drive to come back from a deep deficit to make it a game. Villanova advanced to 8-­4 in the Big East, while the Hall dropped to 4­-7. 

Coach Tony Bozzella’s teams traditionally thrive on February. This is something he is instilling here, noting there are things to play for: A few more wins, a victory or more in the Big East Conference, maybe postseason. “Adding another banner would be nice,” Bozzella said.

On the other side, Villanova coach Harry Perretta took a chance to relax as Villanova team members went by to meet with family. He spoke of how much fun the Big East Conference is. “It is fun, just great for fans, but could be stressful for coaches.”

Today’s game was a perfect ’exhibit A.’

Seton Hall was stuck at 14 points for over ten minutes:

At one point, Tony Bozzella was seemingly searching or grasping for answers:

The veritable T-shirt toss, which reminds me: When do pitchers and catchers report?

Villanova's Harry Perretta appears to be hoping the clock would move a bit faster:

Villanova's Katherine Coyer takes a late game respite during a free throw:

Seton Hall assistant coach Tiffany Jones-Smart gives her postgame assessment: