After missing all of last season due to the CoVID pandemic, the Seton Hill women's basketball team returned to the court on Friday evening in the D2CCA Tip Off Classic at the Trailhead in Billings, Montana. The three day event is hosted by MSU Billings. Seton Hill opened the classic with a matchup against #11 Tampa. SHU stayed with the Spartans for the most part over the first three quarters but Tampa was able to pull away in the fourth quarter for a 75-48 win.
Rena Enterline gave the Griffins their first lead of the season when she buried a three that put the Griffins in front 3-2 in the first two minutes of the contest. After a
Katie Nolan free throw and a
Joi Burleigh basket, the contest was tied at six midway through the quarter. Tampa then closed the quarter on a 14-4 run as they took a 20-10 lead into the second quarter.
Midway through the quarter, the Spartans had extended their lead to 18 points at 31-13. That lead got to 18 points before four straight baskets from the Griffins, two from Nolan trimmed the lead to 33-23 late in the quarter. Tampa scored the final two points of the half and took a 35-23 lead into the halftime break. Nolan and
Sonia Sarda each had six points in the first half for the Griffins.
Back to back three pointers from Enterline and
Samantha Kosmacki along with a Nolan bucket cut the lead to 39-31 with 7:41 left in the third quarter. The lead extended back to 16 before a Sarda basket and a three point play from
Christiane Frye cut the lead back to 11 at 49-38 with just over a minute to play in the quarter. Tampa carried a 53-40 lead into the fourth quarter.
A Nolan free throw and a basket from Kosmacki got the lead back to ten points at 53-43 with eight minutes remaining. From that point on, Tampa began to pull away as they closed the game on a 22-5 run for a 75-48 win.
Nolan led the Griffins with 14 points. Sarda reached double figures in her first game as a Griffin, finishing with 13.
The Griffins will play Simon Fraser University on Saturday evening at 6:45 eastern time.
