Seton Hall 88, Marquette 58: Ray Floriani's Tempo-Free Analysis

Seton Hall cheerleaders entertain Walsh Gym during Pirates' win over Marquette. (Photo courtesy of Ray Floriani)

South Orange, NJ – Win number sixteen came in an impressive way. Utilizing quickness and transition speed, Seton Hall soundly defeated Marquette 88-58 at Walsh Gym on Friday. The numbers of note......

Possessions: Marquette 80, Seton Hall 79

Offensive Efficiency: Seton Hall 111, Marquette 73

Four Factors:

eFG%: Seton Hall 53, Marquette 35

FT Rate: Seton Hall 34, Marquette 10

OREB%: Marquette 32, Seton Hall 26

TO Rate: Marquette 20, Seton Hall 9

What Marquette did well: Rebound. A tough night for the visitors, but there was a positive in ‘winning’ the offensive rebounding percentage battle. Marquette grabbed 17 offensive boards to 11 of Seton Hall in raw numbers.

What Seton Hall did well: Defend and care for the ball. Transition was the key, yet the Pirates committed only 9 turnovers for an outstanding 11% turnover rate. The 73 efficiency allowed on defense speaks volumes on the effort on that end.

Leading Scorers:

Daisha Simmons, Seton Hall (24)

McKayla Yentz, Marquette (12)

Efficiency Leaders:

Daisha Simmons, Seton Hall (30)

McKayla Yentz, Marquette (10)

Seton Hall enjoyed a 42-30 edge in points in the paint. Four were in double figures for the Pirates, an excellent sign of their balance. Efficiency allowed was cited previously, and the eight steals and six blocks of Seton Hall further attests to that defensive effort. No one on Marquette shot 50% from the floor. Leading scorer Yentz, a sophomore guard, was 4-of-9, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

At 80 possessions, was Marquette forced into uptempo? Not at all. They came in averaging 75 possessions in conference play. “We want to play fast,” said Golden Eagles coach Carolyn Kieger. “Obviously, we have some work to do.”

Ka-Deidre Simmons added 17 points with eight assists against just two turnovers, for an excellent efficiency of 24.

Seton Hall is 16-2 and 5-1 in the Big East, while Marquette is 4-13 and winless in six Big East games.

“We play at a fast pace, but we commit few turnovers because we make sure the ball is in the hands of the right people.” –Seton Hall coach Tony Bozzella