By Zack Cziryak
Al-Amir Dawes and Dylan Addae-Wusu paced a starting five that all tallied double-figure point totals in a “neutral site” victory for the Seton Hall men’s basketball team on Sunday night.
Dawes dropped 25 points on 9-16 shooting, including 4-11 from beyond the arc, while Addae-Wusu played his best game as a Pirate with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals to seal a 93-87 victory over the Missouri Tigers in Kansas City, Mo.
Dawes knocked down a 3 pointer at the 18:18 mark to start off the game’s scoring and followed up immediately with a second to stake a 6-3 lead early before the Hall fell behind 16-10 midway through the first half. Back-to-back three-pointers from Addae-Wusu would tie the game and jumpstart an 18-5 run that would see the Pirates take a lead they would never relinquish.
Dre Davis contributed 19 points and 8 rebounds, Kadary Richmond added 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Jaden Bediako tallied 11 points and 8 rebounds to round out the PIrate starters.
Tamar Bates poured in 22 points for the Tigers while Sean East II put up 16 with 6 assists and Nick Honor contributed 14 points.
An 11-3 run to start the second half would help propel the Pirates to a double-digit lead that would expand to as many as 19 with under six minutes remaining before the Tigers clawed back in the game to cut the deficit to as few as four late in the game.
The Pirate victory was fueled by a blistering 58.9% from the floor compared to 45.2% from Missouri, which was outrebounded by Seton Hall 30-24.
The Hall assisted on 16 of 33 baskets but gave the ball away an uncharacteristic 14 times as the Missouri’s press forced several turnovers as the Tigers closed the gap late in the game.
The victory brings the Pirates to 7-4 overall and marks the first of the year for the Hall against a power conference team as well as away from the Prudential Center.
The Pirates will kick off Big East Conference play Wednesday night back in Newark, N.J. against the reigning national champion Connecticut Huskies. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
