by JP Pelzman
NEWARK – Myles Powell went 12-for-23 from the field and 3-for-7 from long distance Wednesday night against Providence, but it was a different kind of catch-and-release that finally iced the Pirates’ much-needed 65-63 victory at the Prudential Center.
Just before falling out of bounds in the final second, Powell drilled the ball off the back of Providence’s Isaiah Jackson, enabling the clock to finally run out on the pesky, hard-nosed Friars.
And what was Powell thinking at that moment?
“Thank God we finally got a win,” Powell said with a smile.
But it wasn’t really divine intervention that made the difference. It was the defensive plays down the stretch by the Pirates (13-8, 4-5 Big East) that enabled them to finally snap a four-game skid, three days after being blown out at Villanova.
Steals by Quincy McKnight and Powell gave the Pirates a late four-point cushion, and it held up when 7-2 Romaro Gill stuffed Jackson’s attempt at a driving layup. Jackson had gotten past Powell, but Gill was there to provide the help defense.
“We’ve missed him,” coach Kevin Willard said of Gill, who had missed five straight games earlier this month because of a sprained ankle. “As he continues to get his legs back he will be a big boost for us.”
“It happened so fast,” Gill said. “My mindset was like, I just have to get this stop.”
“The guy (Jackson) made a good move on me and I saw my big man was there to step up and block it,” Powell said.
The frantic finish was a fitting conclusion to an emotional, up-and-down second half in which Providence (13-8, 3-5) used an early 13-0 run to erase a nine-point deficit. The Friars led by as many as seven points later and were still up 61-60 when McKnight picked Alpha Diallo’s pocket and turned it into his own three-point play for a 63-61 lead.
This began a stretch of three consecutive Providence turnovers, all by Diallo. The final one occurred when he telegraphed a pass and Powell cut in front for a steal, a crowd-pleasing dunk and a 65-61 lead.
“Our coaching staff did a great job with the scout,” Powell said. “When I saw the play happen, I felt it coming. I was just trying to put myself and my team in a position to win. I saw it coming and I jumped the screen.”
Powell and the rest of the Pirates certainly understood the significance of this game.
“I was just trying to save our season and do anything the team needed me to do,” he said. “Our backs were against the wall. … Most importantly, we stayed together as a team, as brothers. And we came out and got the job done.”
“I told the team the other day,” Willard said, “‘guys, we can’t go five minutes without Myles Powell touching the ball.’ We got here riding his back. Let’s not play make-believe. There were times we’re going too long without him touching the basketball.”
Willard solved that problem somewhat by putting the ball in Powell’s hands more often at the top of the arc. Thus, he was able several times to beat his defender and get to the rim for some spectacular finishes, including a nifty lefty one that excited the crowd.
“I thought (Powell) came out from the start being aggressive and that really set the tone,” Willard said. “His sense of urgency tonight on both sides (offense and defense) was great. Playing 39 minutes (38:19, to be precise) and the level he played showed how much this meant to him.”
“I was just in attack mode today,” Powell said.
“We’re dogs,” McKnight said. “When we were losing, we didn’t get that good food. … We didn’t like that taste in our mouths. That (win) is a little taste of that food back in our mouths, but we’re still hungry.”
And although Wednesday night’s ugly game hardly resembled a five-star buffet, it was plenty good enough for a team starving for a victory.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
COMMENTS?
NEWARK – Myles Powell went 12-for-23 from the field and 3-for-7 from long distance Wednesday night against Providence, but it was a different kind of catch-and-release that finally iced the Pirates’ much-needed 65-63 victory at the Prudential Center.
Just before falling out of bounds in the final second, Powell drilled the ball off the back of Providence’s Isaiah Jackson, enabling the clock to finally run out on the pesky, hard-nosed Friars.
And what was Powell thinking at that moment?
“Thank God we finally got a win,” Powell said with a smile.
But it wasn’t really divine intervention that made the difference. It was the defensive plays down the stretch by the Pirates (13-8, 4-5 Big East) that enabled them to finally snap a four-game skid, three days after being blown out at Villanova.
Steals by Quincy McKnight and Powell gave the Pirates a late four-point cushion, and it held up when 7-2 Romaro Gill stuffed Jackson’s attempt at a driving layup. Jackson had gotten past Powell, but Gill was there to provide the help defense.
“We’ve missed him,” coach Kevin Willard said of Gill, who had missed five straight games earlier this month because of a sprained ankle. “As he continues to get his legs back he will be a big boost for us.”
“It happened so fast,” Gill said. “My mindset was like, I just have to get this stop.”
“The guy (Jackson) made a good move on me and I saw my big man was there to step up and block it,” Powell said.
The frantic finish was a fitting conclusion to an emotional, up-and-down second half in which Providence (13-8, 3-5) used an early 13-0 run to erase a nine-point deficit. The Friars led by as many as seven points later and were still up 61-60 when McKnight picked Alpha Diallo’s pocket and turned it into his own three-point play for a 63-61 lead.
This began a stretch of three consecutive Providence turnovers, all by Diallo. The final one occurred when he telegraphed a pass and Powell cut in front for a steal, a crowd-pleasing dunk and a 65-61 lead.
“Our coaching staff did a great job with the scout,” Powell said. “When I saw the play happen, I felt it coming. I was just trying to put myself and my team in a position to win. I saw it coming and I jumped the screen.”
Powell and the rest of the Pirates certainly understood the significance of this game.
“I was just trying to save our season and do anything the team needed me to do,” he said. “Our backs were against the wall. … Most importantly, we stayed together as a team, as brothers. And we came out and got the job done.”
“I told the team the other day,” Willard said, “‘guys, we can’t go five minutes without Myles Powell touching the ball.’ We got here riding his back. Let’s not play make-believe. There were times we’re going too long without him touching the basketball.”
Willard solved that problem somewhat by putting the ball in Powell’s hands more often at the top of the arc. Thus, he was able several times to beat his defender and get to the rim for some spectacular finishes, including a nifty lefty one that excited the crowd.
“I thought (Powell) came out from the start being aggressive and that really set the tone,” Willard said. “His sense of urgency tonight on both sides (offense and defense) was great. Playing 39 minutes (38:19, to be precise) and the level he played showed how much this meant to him.”
“I was just in attack mode today,” Powell said.
“We’re dogs,” McKnight said. “When we were losing, we didn’t get that good food. … We didn’t like that taste in our mouths. That (win) is a little taste of that food back in our mouths, but we’re still hungry.”
And although Wednesday night’s ugly game hardly resembled a five-star buffet, it was plenty good enough for a team starving for a victory.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
COMMENTS?
