MBB Takes on Lafayette Friday at Walsh Gym
12/26/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Dec. 26, 2013
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Seton Hall men's basketball action returns to Historic Walsh Gymnasium on Friday as the Pirates wrap up non-conference play against Lafayette (4-6).
Seton Hall (8-4) is coming off its most complete offensive performance of the year as a season-high six Pirates scored in double-figures to lift The Hall to a convincing 92-70 victory over Eastern Washington on Sunday at the Prudential Center.
Senior Eugene Teague (Vineland, N.J.) led the way in a second half where the Pirates outscored the Eagles 54-to-34. The 6-foot-9 center finished the night with 16 points and nine boards; just one rebound shy of his fifth-consecutive double-double. Classmate Brian Oliver (Glassboro, N.J.) also poured in 16 points, while in his first appearance in more than two weeks Fuquan Edwin (Paterson, N.J.) came off the bench to score 14 points.
Edwin also didn't miss a beat on the defensive end, tying his career-high and the single game school record with eight steals in the contest. Edwin already shared the mark with and is now just 12 steals shy of tying Dan Callandrillo's program record of 260 for his career. He also reclaimed his perch atop the BIG EAST steals rankings with 30 through nine appearances (3.3/game). The superlative effort landed Edwin on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second time this season, marking the third-straight week a Seton Hall player has been honored by the conference.
With point guard Sterling Gibbs (Scotch Plains, N.J.) sidelined, freshman Jaren Sina (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) was charged with directing the Seton Hall offense against what had been a high octane Eagles attack coming into the game. Sina turned in his finest effort of the season, handing out a career-high eight assists - the most by any Seton Hall player in one game this year - and scoring 14 points while not committing a single turnover in a team-high 35 minutes on the floor.
Sina's play helped key a performance in which The Hall set or matched season-highs in field goals (29), field goal percentage (.569), assists (16) and points scored. Seton Hall used the same starting lineup in consecutive games for the first time this season, and all five players ultimately ended up in double-figures as Brandon Mobley (Savannah, Ga.) added 11 points and Haralds Karlis (Riga, Latvia) chipped in a season-high 10 points.
The Pirates also held Eastern Washington under 40 percent shooting, but with Teague out for most of the first half due to foul trouble and Aaron Geramipoor (Manchester, England) missing due to injury, the Eagles racked up 17 offensive rebounds and won the battle on the glass 38-to-29.
While Geramipoor was unable to go, the Pirates' frontcourt was bolstered by the return of Patrik Auda (Brno, Czech Republic) who shot a perfect 2-for-2 from both the field and the line to total six points in six minutes of action.
The Hall will look to fair better on the boards against a Lafayette squad that ranks ninth in the 10-team Patriot League in rebounding.
Lafayette comes in at 4-6 on the year, but as a 19-win team that came within one game of an NCAA Tournament berth last season, the Leopards remain dangerous on the offensive end with five players who average more than 10 points per game.
6-foot-7 junior forward Seth Hinrichs ranks second in the league at 20.2 ppg, heading a collective group that leads the conference in scoring with 76.7 points per contest as a team. The Lafayette attack is one that has been powered by efficiency as the Leopards have combined to shoot 48.2 percent from the field through 10 games.
Hinrichs is the focal point of a core five that accounts for nearly 90 percent of the squad's offensive output despite a rotation that features nine players that average at least 10 minutes per game. He is joined by Bryce Scott (16.7 ppg), Dan Trist (12.3 ppg), Nick Lindner (11.1 ppg) and Joey Ptasinski (10.3 ppg) in double-figures - a group that serves a versatile set of functions for head coach Fran O'Hanlon, the winningest coach in Patriot League history.
Hinrichs is joined by Scott and Ptasinski in averaging better than 2.0 treys/game, while Lindner hands out 4.2 assists per game. The 6-foot-9 Trist provides a post presence, shooting nearly 58 percent from the field and snatching a team-high 5.6 boards per contest.
The Pirates and Lafayette have split 18 all-time meetings. The two schools will be facing off for just the second time in the last 40 years on Friday. The teams last squared off during the 1987-88 season, a game that The Hall claimed easily in a 98-73 affair.
Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. and a live telecast from inside Walsh Gymnasium on the University's South Orange campus will be available nationally on FOX Sports 1. Seton Hall's radio team of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the call on 570 AM (WMCA).
