Seton Hall University
Washington
MBB Rallies, But Falls in OT, 84-73
11/18/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UNCASVILLE, CONN. - The Seton Hall men's basketball team rallied from an 18-point, second half deficit, but ultimately fell in overtime to Washington, 84-73, in the semifinals of the 2012 Hall of Fame Tip-Off at the Mohegan Sun.
Junior Fuquan Edwin (Paterson, N.J.) led all scorers with 27 points to go with eight rebounds, three assists and three steals in a strong all-around performance. Eighteen of his points came in the second half when the Pirates mounted their furious comeback. As a team, Washington only scored 22 points in the second.
Seton Hall (2-1) trailed by as many as 18 points, 51-33, with 19:26 remaining in the second half, when a remarkable 23-5 run over the next 10:01 pulled the Pirates even at 56.
Junior Patrik Auda (Brno, Czech Republic) had a strong game off the bench with nine points and six rebounds in 37 minutes.
Seton Hall scored the first five points of the game on a three-pointer by Brandon Mobley (Savannah, Ga.) and a floater by Fuquan Edwin (Paterson, N.J.), but Washington stormed back with a 17-0 run fueled by senior guard Abdul Gaddy to take a commanding 17-5 lead with 12:20 remaining in the first half. Shortly after he scored, Mobley injured his left knee and did not return.
A three-pointer by Brian Oliver (Glassboro, N.J.) made the score 17-8 and ended the Pirates' drought at 6:50. A second trifecta by Oliver cut the Huskies lead to eight at 19-11 with 10:50 to go in the first.
Washington's Jernard Jarreau scored on a put-back to cap a 7-0 run to boost the Huskies lead to 15 points, 26-11, with 8:27 to play before halftime.
Edwin scored the last five points of the half for Seton Hall, on consecutive possessions, but Washington's Aziz N'Diaye hit a pair of free-throws with just 4.5 seconds left to send the Huskies into the locker room with a 49-33 lead.
Points off turnovers and second chance points were major topics of Seton Hall's detriment in the first half. The Pirates turned the ball over 11 times in the first half and allowed 19 points off those turnovers, while mustering just three points off Washington turnovers. Seton Hall was out-scored, 10-0, in second chance points.
Seton Hall shot well in the first half, 46.2%, and was 7-for-9 from three-point range, but the Huskies shot a blistering 61.3% from the field and out-rebounded the Pirates 17-to-9.
Jarreau scored the first bucket of the second half, but that's when the Pirates caught fire. On the strength of 10 points from Fuquan Edwin, Seton Hall went on a 13-2 run slicing the Husky lead to 52-43 with 15:19 remaining. After a pair of free-throws by Desmond Simmons, the Pirates completed the comeback. A three-pointer by Kyle Smyth (River Edge, N.J.) capped a 10-0 run and tied the game at 56 with 9:13 to play.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Edwin and Smyth gave Seton Hall a 66-60 lead with 5:03 left, but Washington rounded with six straight points to tie the game at 66.
With the score tied at 71, Washington's Desmond Simmons turned the ball over with 7.4 seconds remaining. Seton Hall advanced up the floor, but Auda's three-pointer missed the mark and the game went into overtime.
In the extra session, Washington's Scott Suggs hit a three-pointer in their first possession and the Huskies never looked back. Washington scored the first eight points in overtime and the Pirates fell, 84-73.
Five players scored in double-figures for Washington, led by Abdul Gaddy's 16 points.
Seton Hall will return to action tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 18 for the consolation game of the Naismith Bracket of the 2012 Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Pirates will face Rhode Island at 7:00 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPN 3 and can also be heard on the radio at 1250 WMTR-AM and WSOU-FM. An audio stream will also be available via the Pirates Sports Network at www.SHUpirates.com.
