Seton Hall University
No. 10 Louisville
MBB Falls at #10 Louisville, 79-61
2/23/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
LOUISVILLE, KY. - Four Pirates scored in double-figures, but the Seton Hall men's basketball team fell at #10 Louisville, 79-61, on Saturday.
Louisville's vaunted press and overall defensive pressure forced 21 Seton Hall turnovers, which provided the decisive edge for the Cardinals.
Sophomore Aaron Cosby (Louisville, Ky.), playing in front of his family, led the Pirates with 17 points. Junior Gene Teague (Vineland, N.J.) finished with 16 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and four assists.
Seton Hall (13-15, 2-13) was down 8-2 to start the game, but responded with an 8-0 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Haralds Karlis (Riga, Latvia) and Cosby to take a 10-8 lead with 14:43 left in the first half.
Trailing 12-10, Brian Oliver (Glassboro, N.J.) caught fire, scoring seven straight points for the Pirates. His three-pointer with 10:55 left before halftime gave Seton Hall a 17-15 lead.
With Seton Hall leading 19-17, Louisville found its three-point shooting stroke. In a 17-2 run, spanning 5:12, the Cardinals received made three-pointers from Luke Hancock, Peyton Siva, Russ Smith and Kevin Ware to turn a two-point deficit into a commanding 13-point lead, 34-21, with 5:07 to go before the half.
Louisville (22-5, 10-4) took a 40-26 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Seton Hall out-rebounded the Cardinals, 18-to-14, but committed 11 turnovers, compared to just three for Louisville.
The second half started much the way the first half ended. Louisville's press continued to force Seton Hall turnovers, while Gorgui Dieng and Russ Smith provided the offense necessary to keep the Cardinals comfortably in front.
Aaron Cosby connected on a three-pointer and Eugene Teague scored inside on the following possession to cut the Pirates deficit to 12 with 12:47 remaining, but Louisville responded with seven straight points to put the Cardinals back up by 19 points, 59-40.
Louisville's Gorgui Dieng, a leading candidate for BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, showed off his offensive skills against the Pirates. The 6-foot-11 center scored a game-high 23 points to go with eight rebounds and three blocks.
Seton Hall will have a short turnaround and return to action on Monday, Feb. 25 when they host Villanova at the Prudential Center. Game-time is scheduled for 9:00 p.m.
(box scores and updated stats coming shortly)
