SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Butler fell to the Seton Hall Pirates 70-51 in the Bulldogs' BIG EAST opener in South Orange, N.J., on Thursday evening. With the loss, Butler slides to 4-5 overall and 0-1 in conference action while Seton Hall improves to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in BIG EAST play.
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BULLDOG HIGHLIGHTS

• Saniya Jackson led the way for Butler with 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor. She added five rebounds and two assists.
• Kennedy Langham rounded out the Bulldogs in double figures with 10 points. Langham chipped in three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• Lily Zeinstra and Saniya Jackson led Butler on the glass, pulling down five rebounds apiece.
• Mallory Miller recorded three blocks in the contest.
• Butler shot 18-for-54 from the floor (33.3%).
• Butler forced 16 SHU turnovers, marking the 11th time in the last 12 games that Butler has forced its opponents to commit double-digit turnovers.

 
SETON HALL HIGHLIGHTS

• Mariana Valenzuela poured in a game-high 25 points on an efficient 11-for-15 effort from the floor. Valenzuela pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.
• Jada Eads paced the Pirate offense with six assists and added four steals.
• Seton Hall shot 43.9-percent from the floor (29-66) while shooting 43.8-percent (7-16) from behind the arc.
• SHU forced 19 Butler turnovers and turned them into 19 points.
• Seton Hall won the rebounding battle 45-30.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Neither side scored in the first two minutes of play before Caroline Dotsey scored the first points of the game at the 7:40 mark of the first. The Pirates staged an 8-0 run while holding Butler scoreless for over four minutes as SHU closed the quarter with a 19-9 advantage.
• Butler opened the second quarter with a 5-0 run of its own, forcing Seton Hall to take a timeout at the 7:30 mark of the frame. The Pirates responded with an 8-2 run as the SHU lead grew to nine. Butler held Seton Hall scoreless over the final two minutes, as the Dawgs trailed 29-22 at the break.
• Both sides traded buckets to start the third. The Dawgs were then able to hold the Pirates scoreless for over two minutes, trimming the lead to six behind buckets from Saniya Jackson and Langham. Seton Hall closed the quarter with the 43-35 lead as the Pirates hit a shot at the buzzer to extend the lead to eight.
• Seton Hall opened the fourth on a 10-2 run as the Pirates sank two deep 3-pointers. Butler was unable to mount a comeback over the final minutes of the contest, falling 70-51 at the final whistle. 

 
UP NEXT
Butler will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 7 as the Dawgs travel to Milwaukee to face Marquette. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. EST. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and fans can find a link to live stats on Butlersports.com.