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Zack Cziryak
It was a fitting end for Seton Hall’s 2022-2023 season as they dropped a 65-64 first round matchup in the NIT to Colorado in the final 20 seconds.
Julian Hammond III finished a wide-open layup to take the lead with 15.7 seconds remaining and Femi Odukale’s leaning scoop shot bounced too hard off the backboard after he was stopped in his tracks attempting to drive through the defense as the Buffaloes held on at home in Boulder, Colo.
The Pirates had taken the lead roughly 15 seconds earlier when a transition pass from Jamir Harris and through the legs of a Buffalo player was finished by KC Ndefo, who knocked down an ensuing and-1 free three attempt to take a 64-63 lead. The Hall had clawed back the lead with those points on the strength of a 9-2 run coming out of the under 4 timeout down 61-55, with Ndefo sparking the offense with a driving finish.
The Hall was able to keep it close in a rough first half, clawing to a 33-27 deficit after being down as many as 9 points and mustering only 20 points through the first 18:20 of the game.
The Buffaloes, which were playing without starting point guard KJ Simpson, were led by 18 points off the bench from Princeton transfer Ethan Wright, who shot 4 of 6 from beyond the arc and 4 of 4 from the charity stripe after averaging 3.2 points per game on the season. Colorado also saw 15 and 10 points from Tristan Da Silva and Hammond, respectively, while Luke O’Brien finished with 8 points and 14 rebounds.
In his final collegiate contest Ndefo led the Pirates with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists on 6 of 8 shooting and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. Tyrese Samuel notched a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds and Al-Amir Dawes rounded out the Hall’s double-figure scorers with 13 points.
The Pirates, playing again without either Kadary Richmond or Trey Jackson, shot 4-18 from 3-point land compared to 10-18 for the Buffaloes, which also outrebounded Seton Hall 37-33. The Pirates held a 5-1 steal advantage and only turned the ball over 6 times to 10 from Colorado.
Neither team could get much going from the field overall, with Seton Hall shooting 36.7% and Colorado firing at 38.9%, though both team shots over 80% from the free throw line at 16 of 18 and 13 of 16, respectively.
The loss ends Shaheen Holloway’s first campaign as head of the Seton Hall program, his alma mater. The Pirates finished with an NIT postseason berth, a 500 Big East record and 6 road wins, including one against in-state rival Rutgers in December. The squad also finished above 500 at 17-16, although one of those victories was of course against division II Lincoln University.
Zack Cziryak
It was a fitting end for Seton Hall’s 2022-2023 season as they dropped a 65-64 first round matchup in the NIT to Colorado in the final 20 seconds.
Julian Hammond III finished a wide-open layup to take the lead with 15.7 seconds remaining and Femi Odukale’s leaning scoop shot bounced too hard off the backboard after he was stopped in his tracks attempting to drive through the defense as the Buffaloes held on at home in Boulder, Colo.
The Pirates had taken the lead roughly 15 seconds earlier when a transition pass from Jamir Harris and through the legs of a Buffalo player was finished by KC Ndefo, who knocked down an ensuing and-1 free three attempt to take a 64-63 lead. The Hall had clawed back the lead with those points on the strength of a 9-2 run coming out of the under 4 timeout down 61-55, with Ndefo sparking the offense with a driving finish.
The Hall was able to keep it close in a rough first half, clawing to a 33-27 deficit after being down as many as 9 points and mustering only 20 points through the first 18:20 of the game.
The Buffaloes, which were playing without starting point guard KJ Simpson, were led by 18 points off the bench from Princeton transfer Ethan Wright, who shot 4 of 6 from beyond the arc and 4 of 4 from the charity stripe after averaging 3.2 points per game on the season. Colorado also saw 15 and 10 points from Tristan Da Silva and Hammond, respectively, while Luke O’Brien finished with 8 points and 14 rebounds.
In his final collegiate contest Ndefo led the Pirates with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists on 6 of 8 shooting and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. Tyrese Samuel notched a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds and Al-Amir Dawes rounded out the Hall’s double-figure scorers with 13 points.
The Pirates, playing again without either Kadary Richmond or Trey Jackson, shot 4-18 from 3-point land compared to 10-18 for the Buffaloes, which also outrebounded Seton Hall 37-33. The Pirates held a 5-1 steal advantage and only turned the ball over 6 times to 10 from Colorado.
Neither team could get much going from the field overall, with Seton Hall shooting 36.7% and Colorado firing at 38.9%, though both team shots over 80% from the free throw line at 16 of 18 and 13 of 16, respectively.
The loss ends Shaheen Holloway’s first campaign as head of the Seton Hall program, his alma mater. The Pirates finished with an NIT postseason berth, a 500 Big East record and 6 road wins, including one against in-state rival Rutgers in December. The squad also finished above 500 at 17-16, although one of those victories was of course against division II Lincoln University.
