Seton Hall University
14-4,6-0Big East
St. John's
12-7,1-5Big East
Behind Powell, Seton Hall Roars Back to Win at St. John's
1/18/2020 4:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
After committing 15 turnovers in the first half and being down 13 points to St. John's at halftime, the No. 18 Pirates found their second-half rhythm and dropped 52 second-half points while committing only four giveaways, rallying to top the Red Storm, 82-79, in a Saturday afternoon thriller.
Senior All-America candidate Myles Powell (Trenton, N.J.) took the game over in the second half with 23 of his game-high 29 points coming in the final 20. It was his three-point play with 1:38 remaining that put The Hall on top for good.
For good measure, Powell made history early in the second half, scoring his 2,000th career point and 1,000th career BIG EAST point. He's only the fifth Pirate to ever reach the 2,000-point milestone.
Senior Quincy McKnight (Bridgeport, Conn.) scored 20 points, grabbed seven rebounds and issued five assists in the win. Classmate Romaro Gill (St. Thomas, Jamaica) recorded 14 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks in an incredible effort.
Seton Hall has now won eight straight overall and the first six BIG EAST games of the season. The Pirates are 6-0 in the BIG EAST for the first time ever.
MYLES. POWELL.
— Seton Hall Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) January 18, 2020
HISTORY MADE! #MP13 #HALLin pic.twitter.com/OgpT7ovMqS
PIRATES. WWWWWWWWin.
— Seton Hall Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) January 18, 2020
6️⃣-0️⃣ in the @BIGEASTMBB.#HALLin pic.twitter.com/3MjQJx2TzA
Turning Point
The first half went about as poor as it could for the Pirates, who gave away the ball 15 times while dealing with St. John's suffocating pressure. The Red Storm turned those 15 turnovers into 16 points, including a last-second buzzer beater by L.J. Figueroa who had picked up a steal at midcourt, sending St. John's into the locker room up 43-30.
After the chiropractor made his halftime adjustments, Seton Hall began to take care of the ball better. This led to The Hall being able to make runs. It started with a 9-0 run in which Powell assisted on a Cale corner three-pointer and then made a pair of running layups. A pair of freshman Tyrese Samuel (Montreal, Quebec) free throws made it a two-point game, 51-49, with 14:22 to go.
L.J. Figueroa hit a three-pointer at 14:04 to make it a five-point game before Powell hit a jumper to return it to a three-point game at 13:29. From there it was no worse than a three-point game the rest of the contest. The Hall finally tied it up at 56-56 with 10:16 on the clock and then it was punch for punch as the teams traded blows. Powell drilled a three to put the Pirates on top and Figueroa answered with a fadeaway three of his own. Powell then came right back less than 10 seconds later and drilled another one to put the Pirates back up, 64-61, with 7:36 to go.
It continued to be back and forth until Powell took over with 2:29 to go. He scored seven straight Seton Hall points, including a three-point play on a drive to the rim with 1:38 on the clock to put the Pirates on top, 75-73. From there it was a free throw shooting game, and the Pirates took care of business making five of six.
Inside the Numbers
- Seton Hall shot 44.3 percent for the game (27-for-61), 42.9 percent from three (6-for-14) and 81.5 percent from the free throw line (22-for-27). It was a tale of two halves as The Hall shot 53.1 percent in the second half, compared to only 34.5 percent from three.
- St. John's shot 44 percent for the game (33-for-75), 28.6 percent from three (4-for-14) and 60 percent at the line (9-for-15).
- Seton Hall out-rebounded St. John's 46-37.
- Powell finished the game with 29 points and six rebounds. He was 11-for-20 from the field, 3-for-5 from three. It was his fourth straight 20-point effort.
- McKnight posted his second 20-point game of the season, going for 20 on 6-of-8 shooting and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. He had five assists and seven rebounds.
- Gill posted his second career double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds and tied a career high in blocks with six. He has scored in double figures five straight games after only reaching double figures once in his career prior.
- Junior Myles Cale (Middletown, Del.) added 12 points and six rebounds.
- There were eight ties and nine lead changes.
Let's keep this going. See you at The Rock on Wednesday night 👍
— Seton Hall Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) January 18, 2020
🎥 @FOXSports | #HALLin pic.twitter.com/V9ssbOsngc
News & Notes
- Seton Hall is now 6-0 in the BIG EAST and 4-0 in BIG EAST road games for the first time ever. Only 10 times in the first 40 seasons of the BIG EAST has The Hall finished a conference season with four or more road wins.
- Seton Hall's overall eight-game winning streak matches the program's longest in head coach Kevin Willard's tenure. The Pirates also won eight straight from Nov. 22 to Dec. 23, 2011.
- The last time Seton Hall won six straight BIG EAST games in the same season was 2002-03 when the Pirates rattled off eight straight. Dating back to last season, the Pirates have won eight straight league games.
- Seton Hall has now won eight of its last 11 games against St. John's. The last six games in the series now have been decided by eight points or fewer.
- Seton Hall is now 76-7 (.916) under Willard when it scores 80 or more points.
- Seton Hall is now 14-7 at Madison Square Garden since the BIG EAST realigned in 2013-14.
- Powell is just the fifth Pirate ever to score 2,000 career points. He now stands at 2,022 for his illustrious career. He also surpassed 1,000 career BIG EAST points, becoming only the sixth in program history to do so. He stands at 1,024, which is good for fourth.
- Since Powell's freshman year, the Pirates have now racked up 14 true road wins when the attendance is above 8,500 (today was 10,428).
"It's a Dream Come True." @Myles_MBP_23 reflects on becoming @SetonHallMBB's fifth 2,000-point scorer and recaps the Pirates' 8th straight win with @John_Fanta. #HALLin | #BIGEASThoops pic.twitter.com/tjScCDGxge
— #BIGEASThoops (@BIGEASTMBB) January 18, 2020
Up Next
After playing four of its first six BIG EAST games on the road, Seton Hall will begin a three-game homestand with a bye fitted within. It starts with a Wednesday night battle against Providence inside Prudential Center. Game time is 8:30 p.m., on FS1 with Brian Custer and Sarah Kustok on the call. The remarkable duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin have the radio call on WMCA 570 AM, simulcast on the Pirate Sports Network.
