Seton Hall University
3-2
Hawai'i
4-2
Defense Leads Way as Pirates Advance to Wooden Final
11/24/2018 3:11:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Seton Hall will play Miami (FL) in the tournament title game Sunday at 10:30 p.m., Eastern, live on ESPN2 and the ESPN App.
Powell became the 44th Seton Hall student-athlete to record 1,000 career points, and he did so in just his 72nd career game.
Senior Michael Nzei (Makurdi, Nigeria) delivered 16 points and six rebounds, and sophomore Myles Cale (Middletown, Del.) posted 10 points and five boards. Sophomore Taurean Thompson (New York, N.Y.) had eight points and four rebounds.
Seton Hall forced 15 Hawai'i turnovers and held the Rainbow Warriors to only 20 field goals made and only 8-for-23 shooting from three-point range (34.8 percent).
Hawai'i was led by Sheriff Drammeh and Eddie Stansberry, who both had 14 points.
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SWEET DREAMS PIRATES FANS! See you for the 'Ship on Sunday at 10:30 PM ET!
— Seton Hall Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) November 24, 2018
This win was presented by @LifeStorage! #HALLin pic.twitter.com/mCkMhXpVXX
Turning Point
This one was a defensive struggle throughout with both teams shooting under 40 percent in the first half, and the Pirates taking a 25-23 lead into halftime. Through the first 10 minutes of the second half, Seton Hall led by as many as nine points, but the Rainbow Warriors fought back with an 8-2 run that culminated with Stansberry drilling a three at 6:30 to make it a 47-44 game.
With momentum seemingly slipping away, up stepped sophomore Sandro Mamukelashvili (Tbilisi, Georgia), who got the ball from junior Quincy McKnight (Bridgeport, Conn.) in the corner and went unguarded. Mamukelashvili buried the three-pointer to reclaim the momentum and put The Hall up six, 50-44.
The three-pointer sparked a 13-2 Pirates run that included holding Hawai'i to 1-for-5 shooting over a span of four minutes. Powell began heating up at this time, burying a three at 4:29 and the proverbial back-breaking three at 3:27 that made it a 12-point game, 58-46, and forced Hawai'i to call timeout.
Inside the Numbers
- Seton Hall shot 42.6 percent for the game (23-for-54), but was only 29.4 percent from three (5-for-17). The Pirates did improve at the free throw line, going 13-for-18 (72.2 percent). Hawai'i shot 41.7 percent for the game (20-for-48), 34.8 percent from three (8-for-23) and 60 percent at the line (6-for-10).
- The Pirates out-rebounded the Rainbow Warriors, 32-30, and outscored them in the paint, 34-24.
- The Hall forced 15 turnovers and turned them into 11 points.
- Powell led the Pirates in scoring for the fifth time this season after finishing with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting. He added four rebounds, three assists and a steal.
- Nzei was 7-for-10 shooting from the floor for his 16 points, a season high, and he grabbed six rebounds.
- Cale contributed 10 points, five rebounds and two steals.
- Thompson had eight points, all in the first half.
- Mamukelashvili only made one field goal, but made it count with the momentum-swinging three-pointer. He finished with eight points and nine rebounds.
- McKnight played 28 minutes without a turnover and had three assists.
- Freshman Anthony Nelson (New York, N.Y.) had five assists in 13 minutes of action.
HISTORY! #HALLin @Myles_MBP_23 pic.twitter.com/hLVqCHbdDJ
— Seton Hall Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) November 24, 2018
News & Notes
- Seton Hall is now 5-1 all-time against Hawai'i, including 2-0 on neutral courts.
- Tip time of this game was 11:40 p.m., Eastern.
- The Pirates advance to an eight-team in-season tournament title game for the third time under head coach Kevin Willard. In 2012, the Pirates lost to Northwestern in the Charleston Classic final, and in 2014, The Hall defeated Illinois State to win the Paradise Jam crown.
- Powell became the 44th player in Seton Hall history to score 1,000 career points, and he is the fourth to do it in just the last three years.Â
- The Pirates are now 67-7 in their last 74 games when holding at least a seven-point lead at any juncture of the contest.
Up Next
After a day of rest, Seton Hall will play for the Wooden Legacy championship on Sunday against Miami (FL) at 10:30 p.m., Eastern, live on ESPN2 and the ESPN app. The dynamic duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will once again deliver the radio call on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on the Pirate Sports Network.
