Despite Late Comeback, Pirates Fall to Hoyas in BIG EAST Home Opener - Seton Hall University Athletics
Despite a late comeback, the Seton Hall men's basketball team fell to Georgetown, 61-60, in its BIG EAST home opener.
NEWARK, N.J. — Despite a late comeback, the Seton Hall men's basketball team fell to Georgetown, 61-60, in its BIG EAST home opener.
Isaiah Coleman led the Pirates (5-8) with a new career-high of 25 points (8-of-20 from the field). The Hoyas (10-2) featured three double-digit scorers, while the Pirates struggled from the field (20-67 from the field, 3-24 from three).
How It Happened
A festive crowd welcomed Seton Hall back to The Rock for its BIG EAST home opener and final home game of 2024. The Pirates' leading scorer Isaiah Coleman drew the game even at 2-2 with 18:25 left in the half off an elegant foul line pull-up jumper. As both sides continued in a dead heat, the visiting Hoyas struck back. Off the back of six point from Jayden Epps, Georgetown would go on a 17-5 run over an eight-minute period to draw clear of the Pirates, 19-7, with 10:40 remaining in the half.
Facing a deficit, the Pirates would draw closer to their BIG EAST foe thanks to a stretch of strong guard play. An additional six points from Coleman, alongside a pair of buckets from Dylan Addae-Wusu and Chaunce Jenkins, drew The Hall within 7, 27-20, with 2:06 left in the half. Scotty Middleton would also add a three, but the Pirates entered the break down 32-23 against the Hoyas.
Out of the break, The Hall immediately cut into its deficit. Coleman and Addae-Wusu secured a pair of layups to draw the Pirates within five, 37-32, with 18:51 remaining in the half. The Hoyas responded with their own 5-0 run to stall the Pirates momentum momentarily, but the home side continued to push. In the ensuing eight minutes following Georgetown's run, both sides would trade buckets as the Pirates deficit vacillated from as high as 10 points to as low a six. A Jahseem Felton jumper with half cut The Hall's deficit back to seven, 50-43, as the midway point of the second half approached.
The game remained in a stalemate until with 3:51 remaining in the half, the Hoyas expanded their lead over the Pirates to 11, 61-50. Facing a double-digit deficit, The Hall went on a run that enlivened the Prudential Center and drew The Hall within a possession. Coleman and Jenkins both converted a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to seven, 61-54, with 3:03 left in the half. Gus Yalden quickly followed suit, converting a layup to cut the deficit to five, 61-56. After forcing a Georgetown turnover, Scotty Middleton netted a pair of free throws to make it a one-possession game, 61-58, with 1:40 on the clock.
After the Hoyas missed two free throws, Seton Hall quickly pushed the ball down the court. After a string of offensive rebounds, Isaiah Coleman converted a layup in a congested restricted area to draw the Pirates within 1, 61-60, with 36 seconds on the clock.
As Georgetown took the shot clock all the way down, the Hoyas' Caleb Williams attempted a layup that missed the rim, forcing a shot clock violation and giving The Hall a chance to win the game with 10 seconds left. The Hall inbounded the ball, but failed to get off a shot, falling to Georgetown, 61-60.
News & Notes
- This is the 121st meeting between the two BIG EAST institutions.
- With the loss, the Pirates move to 60-61 all-time against the Hoyas.
- With the loss, Seton Hall has won seven of its last 10 BIG EAST home openers.
- The Hall shot 17-of-23 (74%) from the free throw line.
- The Pirates out-rebounded the Hoyas 39-32.
- The Pirates had 22 offensive rebounds to Georgetown's seven.
- Seton Hall's 22 offensive boards was its most in a game since grabbing 23 at Xavier last season on Dec. 23, 2023.
- The Hall had 24 bench points to Georgetown's five.
- Isaiah Colemanregistered a career-high of 25 points.
- This was his seventh double-digit point game of the season.
Up Next
The Pirates return to action on New Year's Eve when they travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, to take on Xavier at 2:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Peacock.
