Providence Trips Up Men's Basketball, 98-93, in OT

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NEWARK, N.J. The Seton Hall men’s basketball team fell to Providence, 98-93, in overtime in a back-and-forth affair that saw 19 lead changes at Prudential Center on Thursday night. Sophomore Jeremy Hazell (Harlem, N.Y.) scored a game-high 30 points on 7-of-12 shooting from downtown in the loss. The Pirates drop to 9-9 overall and 0-6 in the BIG EAST.

The Friars (13-6, 5-2) held an eight-point advantage at the midway point of the second half, but Seton Hall tied the game on back-to-back treys from Eugene Harvey (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Hazell three minutes later. On the next Pirate possession, Hazell hit 1-of-2 from the line to put SHU on top, 73-72, with 7:19 left in regulation.

A dunk by Marshon Brooks gave Providence the lead right back 30 seconds later, which was the last field goal for the Friars in regulation. However, Providence knocked down 5-of-6 from the line to make it an 81-77 game with 3:35 to go in the half.

Senior Paul Gause (Pittsgrove, N.J.) converted on a three on the wing to pull the Pirates within one, and Harvey tied the score at 82-82 on a contested layup with 2:13 to go.

Jeff Xavier hit 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to put the score back in favor of Providence, but a put-back from Robert Mitchell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) gave SHU an 84-83 lead with 1:18 on the clock. The Pirates missed a pair of free-throws with 49 seconds in the half, which could have extended the lead, and Geoff McDermott was fouled with 10 seconds left in regulation.

McDermott was successful on 1-of-2 tries from the line to tie the game at 84-84, but SHU failed to get a last second shot off in the half.

Weyinmi Efejuku scored the first Providence field goal in 10:08 to give the Friars a 90-88 edge with 3:09 in the extra session. Freshman Jordan Theodore (Englewood, N.J.) hit a runner in the lane to give the lead back to the Pirates, 91-90, with 2:16 left in overtime, but Providence capitalized on 7-of-10 foul shots over the last 1:43 to put the game away.

Seton Hall trailed by 14 points with 4:52 in the first half, but the Pirates stormed back with a 13-0 run to make it 41-40 with 1:51 before the break. After five quick points by the Friars, John Garcia (Brentwood, N.Y.) knocked down a 12-foot jumper to pull SHU to within 46-42 heading into halftime.

Gause had a strong all-around game with 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting, six rebounds, and six assists. Mitchell scored 20 points and pulled down seven boards.

The Friars had five players score in double-figures with Xavier leading the way with 20 points on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Jonathan Kale had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Both teams shot well from the floor with Providence hitting 50.0 percent and the Pirates making 48.6 percent. The Friars bench outscored Seton Hall, 24-7.

The Pirates return to action on Sunday, January 25, at Prudential Center against Georgetown. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.