Seton Hall University
Wilmington
MBB Pounds Wilmington in Exhibition
10/28/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - A new-look Seton Hall men's basketball team opened its 2012-13 slate on Saturday night, downing the Wilmington Wildcats in exhibition action, 113-72.
The 41-point spread is the second-largest margin of victory in the last 18 exhibition games for SHU dating back to the 1999-00 season.
Wilmington opened an 18-10 advantage over the first six minutes of the game, riding hot outside shooting from senior guard James Pee.
Sophomore forward Brandon Mobley (Savannah, Ga.) injected energy off the bench for the Pirates early in the first half, making full use of two consecutive trips to the line to cut the deficit to four. Fellow sophomore Freddie Wilson (New Haven, Conn.) connected from long range off a nice feed from backcourt-mate Tom Maayan (Galil, Israel), capping a 7-0 run that pulled SHU to within one at 18-17.
The Wildcats responded with seven unanswered points of their own, but Mobley converted off a strong inside move from the left block, moving the score to 25-19 with 10:09 remaining. Impressive in the paint in his Seton Hall debut, junior Gene Teague (Vineland, N.J.) scored the next four points in the game, shrinking the lead to two at the 8:26 mark.
Following a three-pointer from newcomer Brian Oliver (Glassboro, N.J.), two Mobley free throws put the Pirates on top, 28-27, their first lead since scoring the first basket of the game. The Hall went on to close the half on a 22-5 run, fueled by deadeye shooting from behind the line.
Haralds Karlis (Riga, Lativa) and Kyle Smyth (River Edge, N.J.) each converted twice from three-point land in the stretch, helping the Pirates widen the margin.
The Jersey-product Smyth gave the home crowd a rise as he found the mark on a runner from half court just before the horn to send SHU into the break with an 18-point advantage.
Teague was a dominant force in the first period, finishing a perfect 4-for-4 from the field for a team-high 14 points to go with five rebounds in the first 20 minutes. Mobley matched Teague with five boards of his own, recording 13 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe.
Two more long-range bombs from Oliver bookended a put-back from Teague on the first three possessions of the second half, and The Hall never looked back.
The Hall tamed the Wildcats with an extremely efficient offensive attack in the second half, shooting 61.5 percent from the floor (24-for-39), and 60 percent from three-point territory (9-of-15).
Up 30 points at 86-56 with 6:57 left to play, Smyth put his much-touted hustle on display when he hit the hardwood at midcourt to come up with a steal and fed Wilson from the floor for a fastbreak uncontested layup.
Minutes later, Karlis' fourth trifecta of the night gave the Pirates' their largest lead of the game at 109-65 and The Hall cruised to the final buzzer.
SHU put on a passing "exhibition" on the night, recording an assist on 31 of 38 made field goals. Wilson and Smyth tied for the game-high with eight, while Maayan collected five helpers after receiving the start at point guard.
Smyth added 16 points and a game-high three steals.
Mobley led a group of six Pirates who scored in double figures, pouring in 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Oliver contributed 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting from downtown, while Teague finished with 18 points, eight boards and an unblemished 6-for-6 mark from the field.
The Pirates will wrap up preseason action next Saturday, Nov. 3 when they welcome FDU-Madison to Walsh Gymnasium for their final exhibition game. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are still available by calling 973-275-HALL.
