Zack Cziryak
The Seton Hall men’s basketball team was blown off the floor in Storrs, Conn. Sunday afternoon, falling 91-61 to the #3 UConn Huskies in their final road regular season game of the season.
The Pirates (18-11, 11-7) took an 18-14 lead midway through the first half before being outscored 30-11 to end the first frame and 77-43 the remainder of the contest, a victory that saw UConn (26-3, 16-2) claim its first outright Big East regular season title since 1999 in a revenge game against the Hall, which took the first meeting on Dec. 20 in Newark, N.J.
The Pirates opened up with a solid defensive possession before a step-back Al-Amir Dawes three-pointer gave the Hall an early 3-0 lead. After an 18-4 UConn run eviscerated that 18-14 lead Pirate, another Dawes three-pointer off an in-bounds play would pull the Pirates back within 7 at 32-25 before the Huskies’ methodical dismantling had them cruising into the half up 15.
UConn got double-doubles from both Tristen Newton, 17 points and 10 assists, and Donovan Clingan, who tallied 19 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks. Star freshman Stephon Castle paced all scorers with 21 points on 9-12 shooting, while Alex Karaban rounded out the Huskies in double-figure scoring with 13 points.
Dre Davis paced the Pirates with 20 points and 3 steals, while Kadary Richmond chipped in 15 points and Dylan Addae-Wusu and Al-Amir Dawes tallied 10 and 8 points, respectively.
The Hall shot 37.7% from the floor, including 5-16 for 31.3% from beyond the arc, while shooting 16-19 from the free throw line. Meanwhile, UConn shot 55.9% and knocked down 6-18 three-pointers.
The Pirates were outrebounded 38-26, including 13 offensive rebounds allowed, and gave up 52 points in the paint, with the Huskies assisting on 23 of 33 baskets compared to just 4 of 20 for the Pirates.
The Hall now faces what very may well be a do-or-die game for a potential tournament berth on Wednesday night against Villanova in Newark. The Wildcats have moved into 5th place in the Big East and stand a game back of the Pirates in the conference standings.
Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.
