Seton Hall University
NJIT
Edwin, Smyth Key Pirates 68-59 win
12/5/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NEWARK, N.J. - For the second consecutive game four Pirates scored in double figures, lifting the Seton Hall men's basketball team to a 68-59 win over a pesky NJIT squad on Tuesday night.
SHU (6-2) improved to 5-0 at home on the season and 4-0 all-time against the Highlanders behind strong performances from several key players. Fuquan Edwin (Paterson, N.J.) notched his third career double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds to go with a team-high 22 points. In the process, Edwin eclipsed 800 career points and now sits in 59th place in school history with 817. Kyle Smyth (River Edge, N.J.) tallied 13 points, matching his season-high with four three-pointers.
Edwin was the story in a first half that saw both teams struggle from the floor, going 7-for-8 from the field including a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point land. His first trey put the Pirates up 6-0 with just over three minutes into the action, but the Highlanders would respond with eight unanswered points of their own. An Edwin jumper brought SHU level at 8-8 with 13:12 remaining in the period and started a 17-3 run for The Hall that was powered by several transition buckets. Freshman Tom Maayan (Galil, Israel) dropped it off to Edwin for a straight-away three that gave the Pirates a 29-15 advantage with 2:09 before the break, their largest lead of the half. Preseason Great West Player of the Year Chris Flores managed to answer an Edwin layup in the final minute with a trifecta just before the buzzer to cut the SHU lead to 31-21 heading into the locker room.
The Pirates stifled NJIT offensively in the opening frame, holding the visitors to 7-of-28 shooting as a team. The stout defense led to easy opportunities as Seton Hall went into the break with a 10-2 edge in fast break points.
In the second half, NJIT mounted a spirited comeback effort that was fueled by proficient outside shooting. The Highlanders scored six of the first eight points in the period, but with Edwin limited by foul trouble, Smyth and Gene Teague (Vineland, N.J.) emerged to shoulder the offensive load for the Pirates. Teague tallied three straight buckets for The Hall, the last of which stretched the lead to 37-29 with 15:15 to play. After a Flores three drew NJIT to within 41-34 just under three minutes later, Smyth responded with a long range connection to push the difference back to double-digits.
NJIT found the mark two more times from downtown in an ensuing 8-0 run, but Teague emphatically put an end to the stretch when he flushed a feed from Aaron Cosby (Louisville, Ky.) on a fast break, putting the Pirates ahead 46-42 with just over nine minutes before the final buzzer. A game Highlanders squad hung around but would draw no closer as Smyth and Cosby combined for three clutch three-pointers down the stretch and Seton Hall converted on its final six free-throws to seal a nine point victory.
Teague finished with 12 points and six rebounds and Cosby ended the night with 10 points, five boards and three assists. Together, Smyth, Teague and Cosby combined to score 29 of the team's 37 second half points.
Brian Oliver (Glassboro, N.J.) was a huge presence on the glass, snatching nine rebounds while Brandon Mobley (Savannah, Ga.) contributed a career-high four blocks. Maayan finished with a game and career-high eight assists.
Flores led all scorers with 23 points for a much improved NJIT team (4-4) that was held to 33.9 percent shooting on the night. It is the fifth time in eight games that the Pirates have held their opponent under 40 percent from the field.
Three of the Highlanders four losses have come to BIG EAST teams as the team entered the game with losses to Providence and St. John's by a combined nine-point margin.
The Pirates will return to action on Saturday, December 8 when they travel to Wake Forest. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The Seton Hall women's basketball team will also face the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem as part of a double-header that day. Their game begins at 1:00 p.m.
