Men's Basketball Takes Out Providence, 81-71
1/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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By Liam Orr
Special to SHUpirates.com
NEWARK, N.J. - After an adrenaline-fueled stunner Tuesday night at #9 Syracuse, Seton Hall (10-12, 4-6) proved that they didn't leave all of their energy back at the Carrier Dome, winning 81-71 over the Providence Friars (13-9, 2-7) on Sunday.
Despite star senior guard Jeremy Hazell's shooting struggles, junior Herb Pope (Aliquippa, Pa.) and senior Jeff Robinson (Trenton, N.J.) stepped in and contributed a combined 43 of the Pirates' 81 total points. Pope recorded another double-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds along with four blocked shots, while Robinson had 20 points and six rebounds.
Defense played a major role in the Pirates' victory, as they forced 19 Providence turnovers, nine of them coming from the Friars' Marshon Brooks. Freshman guard Fuquan Edwin (Peterson, N.J.) had four of the Pirates' nine steals. The Pirates smothered Brooks, a player who averages 23.4 points per game, good for sixth in the NCAA and second in the BIG EAST behind only Connecticut's Kemba Walker. Brooks ended up shooting 8-17 from the floor and had only five points at halftime.
Even though Hazell struggled shooting, head coach Kevin Willard was not worried. "It's something that I thought [Hazell] did a good job [with], getting everybody else involved," Willard said. "His game has evolved."
Hazell led the team with six assists and committed only two of Seton Hall's 11 turnovers.
It also appears as though Willard finally has everyone on the same page.
"I'm getting more comfortable," Willard said. "Again, yesterday was the first practice with more than eight scholarship players in two and a half months. It was nice to have subs at practice."
Senior Keon Lawrence was a major spark off the bench, keeping the tempo in Seton Hall's favor and scoring 10 points. Freshman Patrik Auda returned to action after missing the past seven games due to a foot injury.
Seton Hall shot 42.9% from the floor for the game, while Providence shot 46.3% from the floor. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, Seton Hall shooting 16.7% and Providence shooting 21.1%. The Pirates shot 81.8% from the free throw line, while Providence struggled at 54.8%.
Seton Hall did not trail at any point in the game; their largest lead being 19 points, and the only tie was when the score was 0-0.
Both Marshon Brooks and Vincent Council, who each had 20 points, led Providence who had previously defeated #15 Louisville and #7 Villanova in back-to-back upset victories.
The Pirates travel to Morgantown, W. Va. to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers on Wednesday before returning home to face Kemba Walker and the fifth-ranked Connecticut Huskies on Saturday.
