Postseason WNIT | 3/28/2022 10:02:53 PM

SETON HALL 78, COLUMBIA 75

Box Score

NEW YORK — Lauren Park-Lane hit four free throws in the final minute against Columbia, and Andra Espinoza-Hunter came up with a big steal at with 10 seconds left as the Pirates held on to advance to the 2022 Postseason WNIT semifinals.

The Pirates will travel to Middle Tennessee for the semifinals; tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 31.

Seton Hall (23-12) was 20-for-20 from the free-throw line; that tied Wisconsin’s 20-for-20 effort for a tournament record, originally set in 2007. The final two makes came from Amari Wright, who converted hers with 8 seconds left in the contest. 

Park-Lane scored 29 points, while Espinoza-Hunter and Sidney Cooks each scored 16 points. Mya Bremby added 11 rebounds.

The Lions (25-7), playing in their first postseason tournament since their D-III days in the mid-1980s, got a career-high tying 18 points from freshman Kitty Henderson. Abbey Hsu and Kaitlyn Davis each scored 15 points — Hsu is now fourth on the Columbia single-season scoring ranks at 524 points. Hannah Pratt added 10 rebounds.

Columbia, which was 0-for-20 from 3-point range in its Round 3 victory against Boston College, came out much better on that front and hit six 3-pointers in the first half against Seton Hall. The Pirates held a 39-35 lead at the break, with Park-Lane scoring 14 points in those 20 minutes.

Seton Hall went on a 11-0 run late in the third quarter to retake the lead, 56-50, a burst capped by a 3-pointer from Park-Lane with 19 seconds to go in the quarter. But Kitty Henderson hit two 3-pointers for Columbia right away, and the game was tied 56-all with 8:48 to go.