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setonhall.rivals.com
By Colin Rajala
Seton Hall escaped the mid-major portion of its nonconference schedule without a bad buy-game loss, holding on for a 70-61 victory over Monmouth Tuesday evening at the Prudential Center.
Continuing a prevailing theme of the season, Seton Hall’s starters got off to yet another slow start, failing to take the lead over the Hawks in the first seven minutes of the contest, making it 85 straight minutes over more than two games that the Pirates have played without a lead, which dates back to the early minutes of its road game at sixth ranked Baylor six days ago.
The starters failed to create early separation or much excitement for the crowd with another disjointed start that included four turnovers and missed four layups, which was reminiscent of The Hall’s early
seven-point deficit to Rutgers in Saturday’s loss in the Garden State Hardwood Classic.
Four Seton Hall reserves ignited a 17-0 run over more than six minutes of game time to take a commanding 27-12 lead with freshman wing Isaiah Coleman and freshman guard Malachi Brown serving as the catalysts.
Coleman finished the game with a team-leading 17 points, shooting 7/12 from the field, to go along with four rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 27 minutes of play.
“That’s one thing he does [playing with energy], and that’s why he’s been playing. I don’t look at offense, I know everybody else looks at offense. I look at energy and passion, and he brings both. That’s why he’s been playing, and when you play like that, good things happen,” Head Coach Shaheen Holloway said of Coleman.
Brown recorded five points, two assists, one rebound and one steal in nine minutes of action after senior guard Kadary Richmond sat with two fouls.
“I’ve been on Malachi because I want him to be a different player, like a change of pace-type guard. He’s so reserved and so laid back, and that’s kind of who he is as a person, being from the south. So, I’ve been on him to change the pace of the game. I need a lightning-quick guard to come in there, and I thought he did a good job. So, I’m proud of him, and that’s something he can build on,” Holloway added,
in the post-game press conference.
Six straight points on two three-pointers off the bench from sophomore guard Jaquan Sanders expanded Seton Hall’s lead to its largest of the game, 35-19, with just over three minutes remaining in the half, but Monmouth closed the half on a 10-5 run to cut the halftime lead to 40-29.
All told, the Pirate subs tallied 25 points in the first half, accounting for 62.5% of the team’s points. The reserves’ efforts gave Seton Hall a 15-3 advantage in points off turnovers, including a 10-3 edge in fast
break points, while also outscoring the Hawks 22-6 in the paint.
As the bench giveth in the first half, the starters taketh away in the second half as they failed to maintain or extend the lead, going 2-8 from the charity stripe after getting into the bonus less than five minutes into the final stanza.
Seton Hall’s lead dwindled to just three points, 47-44, with 12 minutes remaining after a three from Xander Rice, senior guard and son of Monmouth Head Coach Kind Rice, capped a 15-4 run and prompted a timeout from Holloway. Rice led all scorers with 20 points on an efficient 4/8 from long range despite shooting an overall inefficient 5/19 from the field.
A Coleman three assisted by Richmond out of the timeout pushed the lead back to six, but Monmouth continued to hang on into the waning minutes of the game thanks to Seton Hall’s lackadaisical effort
defending the three-point line, allowing 8-18 shooting before the Hawks went cold late, ending the game zero for its last seven.
Over the game’s final ten minutes, Seton Hall only managed to score three field goals, but the foul trouble they racked up early on Monmouth proved to be the difference maker as the Pirates connected on 10 of its final 12 attempts from the charity stripe to stave off the comeback.
Now, the Pirates will prepare for their final tune up before its daunting 20-game Big East slate as they look for their first win over high major opponent, traveling to play Missouri two hours away from its campus at Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center on Sunday.