Seton Hall coasts to victory in season opener

Tony Bozzella (top) addresses media postgame after his Seton Hall team defeated Iona, while Angelika Szumilo (bottom) instructs one of her players. (Photos by Ray Floriani/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — In the season opener for both teams, Seton Hall women got off to a resounding start, posting a wire-to-wire 75-32 victory over Iona at Walsh Gymnasium Tuesday.

Points of Emphasis

Sprinting out of the blocks: Seton Hall went on an 18-2 tear to close the first period after a quick 4-4 tie in the opening minutes, operating on all cylinders on both ends of the floor. A 22-6 lead at the end of the first period increased to 41-16 at halftime. On this night, defensively, the Pirates kept their foot on the gas for 40 minutes.

Getting defensive: Seton Hall put on a clinic on the defensive end, contesting shots, limiting second chance opportunities and forcing turnovers as the Pirates were simply dominant in all phases. 

“Our defense dictated,” Tony Bozzella assessed. “We have a new team and they defended very well.” 

The man-to-man defense mixed with three-quarter court pressure, was similar to a blitz in football, something to keep the opposition off balance and not allowing Iona to get into a comfort zone. It worked in a huge way.

Spreading the wealth: Seton Hall had 11 players enter the scoring column, five of whom scored at least eight points, led by sophomore guard Micah Gray’s 11 points. Senior guard Amari Wright had nine points along with a game-high six assists. The Pirates’ 12-player rotation proved integral in a commanding 36-4 margin in bench scoring.

“We played 12 players and they all did a good job,” Bozzella praised. “We could have a tough time figuring out who to start. One thing we need is Amari to play well no matter who’s out there. She did tonight and I’m very proud of her.”

Learning experience: One of the takeaways, in the estimation of Iona coach Angelika Szumilo, is Tuesday’s loss being “something we can learn from. We will watch the tape and point out certain things.” What Szumilo primarily alluded to was the turnovers. The Gaels were forced into 24 miscues, leading to 27 Seton Hall points.

Notes: Seton Hall shot 48 percent from the floor, compared to 28 percent for Iona, and owned the glass with a 39-26 rebounding advantage, including 14-7 on the offensive end. The Pirates also dominated Iona in the paint, 40-8. Szumilo faced her former college coach in Bozzella, under whom she played at LIU over two decades ago. She returns home for a Sunday afternoon meeting with her alma mater. Seton Hall visits Columbia on Friday.

Villanova coaching legend Harry Perretta was in attendance with Maddy Siegrist. Perretta’s son, Stephen is an assistant at Iona. Siegrist, an outstanding player at Villanova, played for the Dallas Wings in the WNBA this past season, and is now working at Villanova as a special assistant to athletic director Marc Jackson.

Harry Perretta feels Seton Hall will be a team to watch.

“They play together better than they did last year,” he said. “They rebound and defend. I know they were picked fifth in the Big East, but I can see them surprising people this year.” Individually, he was impressed by A’Jah Davis, a 6’1” transfer from Northern Illinois whom he praised as an excellent rebounder with some nice post moves inside. Szumilo noted Seton Hall did a great job reloading its roster, noting Tuesday was “the best I’ve seen them play the last few years.”

Seton Hall’s two new assistants both have Atlantic 10 ties. Cassandra Calloway came over from UMass. Ka-Deidre Simmons, who played at The Hall for both Bozzella and the late Anne Donovan, was previously at St. Bonaventure.