Seton Hall University
No. 11 Creighton
MBB Edged at #11/#12 Creighton
2/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2014
OMAHA, NEB. - The Seton Hall men's basketball team gave #11/#12 Creighton all it could handle Sunday as the Pirates were a last second heave away from snapping the eighth-longest active home win streak in the nation (17). The Pirates nearly rallied all the way back from a 10 point second half deficit, but came up just short falling 72-71 before a sellout crowd of 18,742 at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Fuquan Edwin (Paterson, N.J.) led The Hall (14-13, 5-9) with 21 points, going 7-for-15 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. After two missed free-throws from Bluejays forward Ethan Wragge, Edwin's final shot attempt from just inside midcourt was off the mark as Creighton escaped a valiant Seton Hall effort.
Creighton (23-4, 13-2) was led by Doug McDermott's 29 points. The senior shot 8-for-14 from the field and 12-for-16 at the free-throw line on a night he moved into the top-10 for scoring in college basketball history. Grant Gibbs complemented McDermott posting 10 of his 16 points in the first half, while hitting 5-of-7 shots in the contest.
The Pirates clawed back from a 48-38 deficit at the 17:11 mark in the second half after McDermott scored seven of Creighton's first 10 points of the stanza. Seton Hall used a dominant performance on the interior by senior center Eugene Teague (Vineland, N.J.) who went for his seventh double-double of the season and 18th of his career. Teague finished with 14 points and grabbed four of his 11 rebounds on the offensive glass.
Seton Hall took advantage of 11 missed free-throws by the Bluejays in the second half (16-27), while connecting on 12-of-13 in the stanza and hitting 93.3 percent (14-15) of its attempts from the charity stripe in the game. Patrik Auda (Brno, Czech Republic) ignited a momentum swing with less than nine minutes to go after a finishing a layup over McDermott with the foul and completing the three-point play to make it a 59-58 ballgame. Auda finished with 12 points (4-7 FG), five rebounds and three assists in 16 minutes of action.
Gibbs answered on the next possession for Creighton hitting a three to go back up by four points with 8:10 remaining. It was the sixth year senior's first bucket since knocking down a triple with four seconds to go in the first half that sent the Bluejays into the locker room with a 36-34 edge.
The Hall pulled within one point again nearly three minutes later after Edwin went 1-for-2 at the line, and then following a defensive stop he buried a pull up jumper to make it a 64-63 game with 5:45 on the clock. Austin Chatman had the answer for Creighton this time when he hit a jumper 13 seconds later.
The Pirates left it all on the court in the final two minutes facing a five point deficit after McDermott sank the Bluejays final shot of the night. He converted a fall away jumper in the paint with 1:59 on the clock that put Creighton on top 72-67.
After a missed 3-point attempt by The Hall on the ensuing possession, Edwin came up with a key steal and was fouled on the fast break where he converted two free-throws to get within three. The Pirates gave themselves a chance to tie the game with another defensive stop, but out of another timeout Brandon Mobley's (Savannah, Ga.) contested attempt from the top of the key was off the mark.
Despite the missed threes, the Pirates had a chance to steal the game after a pair of missed free-throws by McDermott with 21 seconds to play. Creighton elected to put Edwin on the line for free-throws with the Bluejays grasping a three point lead. He knocked down both shots, cutting The Hall's deficit to one point, and nearly came up with a loose ball on the Bluejays inbounds with four seconds to play. The Pirates fouled Wragge in the scramble who missed both free-throw attempts allowing for Edwin's last second heave.
The Hall was not fazed by the third largest crowd in CenturyLink Center Omaha history as they went head-to-head with the Bluejays from the opening tip. The Pirates led by as many as four points in a first half that featured eight lead changes and five ties. Teague led the balanced first half scoring attack with eight points, while Edwin and Mobley had seven each at the break. Mobley was the fourth Pirate to score double-digits finishing with 11 points.
Jaren Sina (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) served as the Pirates primary floor general for 37 minutes as the freshman point guard effectively ran The Hall's offense in the absence of Sterling Gibbs (Scotch Plains, N.J.) who missed the game due to a coach's decision. Sina scored five points and had three assists to only one turnover. He initiated a fluent offense that assisted on 16 of 25 made field goals.
Seton Hall has a quick turnaround as the Pirates travel to DePaul for a BIG EAST Tuesday Showdown on FOX Sports 1. Tip is slated for 9 p.m. eastern from Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin can be heard on 970 AM (WNYM) for Seton Hall's radio broadcast.
