Seton Hall University
22-12,13-7Big East
North Texas
19-15,10-8AAC
Four Score in Double Figures as Pirates Top North Texas in NIT Second Round, 72-58
3/23/2024 1:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
South Orange, N.J. — Led by a team-best 18 points from Dre Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) and an 11-point, 15-rebound double-double from Kadary RIchmond (Brooklyn, N.Y.), the Pirates advanced to the third round of the NIT with a 72-58 win over North Texas on Saturday inside Walsh Gymnasium.
Richmond's 15 rebounds were a new career-high, and the senior also dished out six assists in 30 minutes of action. Isaiah Coleman (Fredericksburg, Va.)Â and Al-Amir Dawes (Newark, N.J.)Â each posted 14 points on the day as the Pirates shot 48 percent as a team. Seton Hall's defense showed out as well, holding the Mean Green, the defending NIT champions, to just 34.9 percent shooting from the floor.
The win advances the Pirates to round three of the NIT, where they will host either Boston College or UNLV on Wednesday inside Walsh Gymnasium. Seton Hall men's basketball season ticket holders have priority access to purchase tickets and will receive a link by email Sunday afternoon. Tickets will only be available online on Sunday. Tickets are $20 per seat. Any remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public Monday at 10 a.m. All tickets purchased will be held at will call on gameday.
Student season ticket holders will receive priority access to a free ticket to the game beginning Monday at 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Student season ticket holders must register for the free ticket using a a link that will be sent to their student.shu.edu email Monday morning, and requests will be filled in the order that they are received. Student season ticket holders will then be instructed to pick up their physical ticket to the game at the front desk of the Regan Center on Tuesday between 10 a.m., and 5 p.m. If the physical ticket is not claimed by 5 p.m., on Tuesday, the ticket will be released and become available for any student to claim.
How It Happened
The Pirates started off cold on the offensive end but they were holding their own defensively against the Mean Green. North Texas was holding on to a 14-8 lead with 12:35 left in the first half when four straight point by Elijah Hutchins-Everett (Orange, N.J.) kicked off a 10-0 run that gave the Pirates their first lead of the game. Seton Hall's defense also held North Texas scoreless for nearly six minutes of that span. The Hall's 18-14 lead was cut to one, 18-17, before a trey by Jaquan Sanders (Queens, N.Y.) pushed the Pirates' lead back to four, 21-17, at the 5:42 mark.Â
A 7-2 spurt put North Texas back in front by one, 24-23, with 3:08 to go before halftime but the Pirates answered with a 10-0 run that was capped off by a a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Coleman. The freshman's trey gave Seton Hall a 33-24 lead and momentum going into the locker room.
North Texas tried taking the momentum back by starting the second half off with a three-pointer that cut its deficit to six, 33-27. Davis, who scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half, responded with a traditional three-point play that made it a nine-point game. The closest the Mean Green would get from there would come at the 14:15 mark when a layup trimmed Seton Hall's lead to seven, 41-34. However, back-to-back threes made by Dylan Addae-Wusu (Bronx, N.Y.) and Al-Amir Dawes (Newark, N.J.) grew the Pirates' advantage to 13 before Addae-Wusu found Dawes on the fastbreak for a layup that gave Seton Hall its largest lead of the game at 15, 53-38, and it forced North Texas to call a timeout.
From there, an 8-0 run for the Pirates that ended with 7:37 to play gave The Hall a 21-point advantage before a fastbreak layup by Dawes with 4:46 left gave the Pirates its largest lead of the game at 24, 70-46.
Inside the Box Score
- One of Seton Hall's most complete games of the season, the Pirates shot 48 percent from the field, 45 percent from three and held North Texas 34 percent from the floor and 32 percent from beyond the arc.
- The Pirates finished plus five on the glass, 38-33.
- Seton Hall had 15 assists and committed 12 turnovers.
- Seton Hall's bench scored 21 points.
- Both teams combined to shoot just 14 free throws with Seton Hall going 7-of-7 from the stripe.
News & Notes
- Seton Hall improves to 2-0 all-time against North Texas.
- The Pirates are now 10-19 all-time in NIT games and they'll be making their first appearances in the NIT quarterfinals since 1956.
- Seton Hall is now 3-0 in Walsh Gym this season and 16-3 overall as the home team.
- The Pirates move to 19-1 when leading at halftime this season.
- The Hall is now 431-143 all-time inside Walsh Gym and its won 32 of its last 33 games against non-conference opponents on campus.
- Seton Hall has won two games in a postseason national tournament for the first time since Seton Hall's 1999-00 squad that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
- The Pirates have defeated both of last year's national postseason tournament champions this season in UConn (NCAA) and North Texas (NIT).
- Richmond has six double-doubles this season and nine in his career.
- Coleman is up to six double-figure scoring games this season.
- Davis tied his career high with four blocks.
Up Next
The Pirates will face of Boston College and UNLV in the quarterfinal round of the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday, March 27, inside historic Walsh Gymnasium at 7.m. on ESPN2. The game will also be broadcast on the Seton Hall Basketball Radio Network.
