PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting
The definitive source for all PirateCrew news.
By Tyler Calvaruso
For 39 minutes, Seton Hall’s defense had it in position to knock off Marquette on the road Thursday
night.
The 40th minute?
That belonged to Shavar Reynolds.
With Seton Hall and Marquette knotted at 61 with less than a minute to play after a Markus Howard-esque three from DJ Carton, Reynolds channeled his ice-cold demeanor to secure the Pirates’ second win
of Big East play. As he has done numerous times before, Sandro Mamukelashvili found Reynolds on the
wing for a three and the former walk-on promptly found the bottom of the net to put Seton Hall up for
good with 42 seconds remaining. Reynolds iced the game at the charity stripe with free throws down the
stretch, giving the Pirates a hard-fought 70-63 win in Milwaukee.
Seton Hall was in control for much of the night, leading for 37:15 of the action thanks to its stout
defense. The Pirates forced Marquette to shoot a mere 24-59 from the field and 7-19 from beyond the
arc to go along with 14 turnovers. However, a pair of Seton Hall defensive lapses, a stretch of stagnant
offense and a Marquette surged powered the Golden Eagles back into the game before Reynolds, who
finished with 11 points delivered in the closing seconds.
Sandro Mamukelashvili powered Seton Hall’s offense with a do-it-all performance, totaling 17 points,
seven rebounds, six assists (including the game-winning dish to Reynolds) and three steals. Myles Cale
and Jared Rhoden also served as reliable sources of offense from the perimeter, with Rhoden registering
16 points on 5-10 shooting and Cale chipping in 11 while going 3-4 from deep.
Seton Hall’s win over Marquette also marked the return of Bryce Aiken, who shot 1-6 from the field with
his only make being a three from the corner on his first field goal attempt in 12 minutes of action. Aiken
did not take on too large of a role in the Pirates’ fifth win of the 2020-21 season, but his presence will be
crucial for Seton Hall when it takes on Providence on Dec. 20 and beyond.
Quick Thoughts
-Is there really anything left to be said about Shavar Reynolds and his consistency in the clutch before?
There might not be a player in college basketball more reliable in the closing minutes than the former
walk-on right now. He delivered against Penn State and he delivered against Marquette. Maybe it is that
spot from the wing that makes him feel so comfortable. Maybe it is Sandro Mamukelashvili firing a
perfect pass into his shooting pocket in seemingly every clutch situation. Either way, the fact that
Reynolds has gone from being the 12th man in Kevin Willard’s rotation to one of his most reliable pieces
is a testament to the work he has put in throughout his time in South Orange.
-Speaking of Mamukelashvili, it goes without saying that Seton Hall does not win this game without him.
His swiss army knife skill set has paid dividends for the Pirates this season and his offense simply does
not flow the same when he is not on his A-game.
-Jared Rhoden played extremely confident, which is a very encouraging sign. His shot selection is
questionable at best sometimes, but Seton Hall is better off when he is letting it fly and not second
guessing his every move.
-All Seton Hall needs from Myles Cale is exactly what he provided on Thursday night. He does not need
to light up the stat sheet on a nightly basis, he just needs to knock down his open shots, play his usual brand of 'D' and stay under
control.
-Bryce Aiken’s shooting performance should have been expected considering the rust he has to shake off.
The good news? He was moving well throughout the night and should be ready to take on a steadily
increased workload as Seton Hall’s Big East schedule progresses.
-Tyrese Samuel turned in an underrated showing – Eight points in 15 minutes. Most importantly, he went
toe to toe and held his ground against Theo John on multiple occasions. Samuel still has a way to go in
his progression defensively, but he played his part against Marquette.
-Seton Hall passed its first real litmus test of Big East play. Marquette was playing its best basketball of
the early season off its win over Creighton and the Pirates still did enough to leave Wisconsin with a win.
This team has certainly provided reason for optimism that it can play with anyone in the Big East over its
last two games.
