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EAST RUTHERFORD , N.J. The Seton Hall men’s basketball team was defeated by West Virginia, 81-70 , on Saturday. The Pirates (12-10;3-6 BE) never led in the game and trailed by as many 18 points early in the first half, but put together a big run to make the game close the rest of the way. Junior Brian Laing (Bronx, N.Y.) recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead Seton Hall.
Freshman Eugene Harvey (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. Sophomore Paul Gause (Pittsgrove, N.J.) scored six points and had four steals in a strong defensive effort.
West Virginia (18-4;7-3 BE) came out firing early, hitting seven of their first 10 shots to take a quick 19-4 lead with 14:18 to go in the first half. Trailing, 28-11, the Pirates made their move, going on a 21-3 run to pull within five at, 31-27, with 2:39 left in the first. During that stretch, the Mountaineers were held without a field goal for nearly nine minutes, but still led, 37-31, at the break.
In the second half, every time Seton Hall made a run, West Virginia seemed to have an answer. A Gause lay-up pulled the Pirates to within six, 49-43, but the Mountaineers Da’Sean Butler drilled a three to stop a potential run. Seton Hall again cut the deficit to six with 4:10 remaining, but a Butler lay-up and a dunk by Joe Alexander ended Seton Hall’s comeback attempt.
Butler finished up with 21 points. Alexander scored 13 points, pulled down nine rebounds, and dished out five assists for West Virginia .
On the positive side of the box score, Seton Hall out-rebounded the larger Mountaineers, 35-to-33 , forced 18 turnovers and recorded 12 steals. The Pirates made the most of their second chance opportunities, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds and outscoring the Mountaineers, 16-to-3 in second chance points.
Both teams shot extremely well from the free throw line, combining to go 35-for-38 from the charity stripe. Seton Hall was 12-for-13 , while West Virginia was 23-for-25 .
The Pirates return to action on Saturday, Feb. 10, against Villanova at Continental Airlines Arena. Tip-off is set for
noon .
