Seton Hall MBB Hosts Kent State
11/12/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2013
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SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall men's basketball team looks to make it two wins in as many games when they welcome the Kent State Golden Flashes to the Prudential Center on Wednesday at 7 p.m. as part of the 2013 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The contest will be televised live on FOX Sports 2 and via radio on 970 AM WNYM with Seton Hall announcers Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin.
In the first game of the season, the Pirates handled a Niagara team that won the MAAC regular season title a year ago; never trailing in an 83-72 victory. Head coach Kevin Willard made full use of his improved depth, sending a total of 12 different players onto the floor. Every Pirate that saw action recorded at least one field goal and two of the standout performances came in reserve roles as red-shirt sophomore guard Sterling Gibbs (Scotch Plains, N.J.) and junior forward Brandon Mobley (Savannah, Ga.) came off the bench and provided a huge boost for the squad.
Gibbs turned in the best performance of his collegiate career in what was his Seton Hall debut, establishing new career-highs with 23 points, six rebounds and a team-high four assists. With the ball in his hands and the action being officiated closely, Gibbs continued to attack the rim and earned himself 23 free-throw attempts, making 17.
Mobley was also a force down low, converting on five of his eight field goal attempts to help SHU to a 42-to-20 edge in points in the paint. The Savannah native finished with 14 points, six rebounds and one blocked shot despite picking up five fouls in 26 minutes.
Gibbs and Mobley were at the forefront of a 56-point effort from the Seton Hall subs, establishing a new high for bench points in the team's three-plus years under Willard. Niagara's bench managed just 14 points.
Game one of the 2013-14 campaign also brought the return of red-shirt junior forward Patrik Auda (Brno, Czech Republic) who didn't miss a beat in his first appearance since sustaining an injury that forced him out of the final 28 games of last season. Inserted into the starting-five, Auda was active on both ends; collecting a team-high eight boards and scoring 11 points while putting an array of interior moves on display.
Senior stalwarts Fuquan Edwin (Paterson, N.J.) and Gene Teague (Vineland, N.J.) were limited to 28 minutes and nine points combined after both found themselves in foul trouble, as did many in a game where 73 fouls were called. In their first and only season as teammates, their lowest combined point total in a Seton Hall win was 22.
The victory was the third in four season openers during Kevin Willard's tenure and was the ninth consecutive successful home opener for The Hall.
In game two, Seton Hall draws a Kent State team that has opened with two victories after posting a total of 21 a year ago. KSU coasted to a 36-point victory at home over Ohio Northern before scoring an impressive come-from-behind win at Temple (81-77) on Monday night.
The Golden Flashes are led by a newcomer in lead-guard Derek Jackson who has scored 18 and 17 points in his first two games for Kent State after sitting out last season following his transfer from Central Michigan.
KSU has protected the ball well while pestering opposing offenses and will bring a +5.5 average turnover margin into their clash with the Pirates.
One area to watch will be long-range shooting as despite a 2-for-9 effort from downtown against Niagara; Seton Hall led the BIG EAST and set a single-season school record with 261 triples in 2012-13. Thus far this season, Kent State has held opponents to just 19.4 percent (7-for-36) from behind the arc.
KSU hails from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and will be meeting Seton Hall for the first time. SHU has a limited resume against MAC basketball schools, recording three wins in four all-time games against current members.
