by JP Pelzman
After Seton Hall’s comeback win over Marquette eight days ago, point (and quote) machine extraordinaire Myles Powell referenced the contributions made by the bench and noted, “That’s just how our train is rolling right right now.”
Well, seven days later, Powell and the Pirates found themselves stalled out high atop the busiest railroad depot in the country. St. John’s took advantage of 15 first-half Seton Hall miscues to build a 13-point lead. But the Pirates cleaned up the ballhandling woes and thanks to some second-half heroics by Powell and Quincy McKnight, the Seton Hall train soon was whistling victoriously into the station.
Right on time.
Powell scored 29 points and McKnight totaled 20 points and had no second-half turnovers as The Hall (14-4, 6-0) rallied for an 82-79 victory at Madison Square Garden.
Coach Kevin Willard said, “I thought the biggest thing we adjusted--I thought we were either going to lose by 30 or come back and win the game--we were going to press them back, and I think it got them on their heels a little bit. It gave us a chance to turn them over and get some easy buckets, and I thought that just loosened us up a ton."
The Pirates committed only four second-half turnovers. And even though their final one resulted in two points for St. John’s, it ultimately was more damaging for the Red Storm.
That’s because it was an unforced error, a throwaway by Powell on an apparent miscommunication. But after Nick Rutherford’s two free throws put St. John’s (12-7, 1-5) ahead 71-70 with 2:43 to go, anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of college basketball in 2020 knew that Myles Powell would take it upon himself to atone for that misplay and take over the game.
“We have been blessed to watch him play for the last three years,” Willard said. “He always has that look in his eyes. … He’s the best player in the country.”
Powell said, “When one of the best coaches in the country calls you one of the best, it’s hard to lack confidence. This is why I came back. … I have a great group of teammates, I have a great coaching staff. Without them, I’m nothing.”
All those people he just thanked would vehemently argue that last point, and St. John’s also would be inclined to disagree after Powell scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half, giving him 2,022 for his college career. He is the fifth Pirate to do that, joining Terry Dehere, Nick Werkman, Jeremy Hazell and Greg Tynes.
Powell scored five of The Hall’s final six baskets, the first two on threes, which then opened the door for drives as defenders overplayed Powell for the long-distance shots, leading to more 'blew by yous' than a month of tour dates for a Linda Ronstadt cover band. One of those resulted in a three-point play that fouled out LJ Figueroa (16 points). St. John’s coach Mike Anderson later sidestepped a question about whether Powell had double-dribbled on the play, likely not wanting to incur the Big East’s wrath.
“I have to look back on the tape and see what exactly took place, but it was a big play in the game,” Anderson said, adding, “I thought we were recognizing where (Powell) was and when he was on the floor. I thought he got loose a couple of times. … He just made plays, that’s what he does.”
Still, Seton Hall’s eighth consecutive win and first 6-0 Big East start was not sealed until Myles Cale and McKnight each made 2 of 2 foul shots in the last 20 seconds and Marcellus Earlington’s trey attempt fell short at the final buzzer.
“When we come into this building,” Powell said, “it’s a special place. We feel this is our second home. You know we love coming to the Garden and we’re looking forward to coming back for the tournament.”
Did he mean the Big East or the NCAA East Regionals? We’ll all know come March.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
After Seton Hall’s comeback win over Marquette eight days ago, point (and quote) machine extraordinaire Myles Powell referenced the contributions made by the bench and noted, “That’s just how our train is rolling right right now.”
Well, seven days later, Powell and the Pirates found themselves stalled out high atop the busiest railroad depot in the country. St. John’s took advantage of 15 first-half Seton Hall miscues to build a 13-point lead. But the Pirates cleaned up the ballhandling woes and thanks to some second-half heroics by Powell and Quincy McKnight, the Seton Hall train soon was whistling victoriously into the station.
Right on time.
Powell scored 29 points and McKnight totaled 20 points and had no second-half turnovers as The Hall (14-4, 6-0) rallied for an 82-79 victory at Madison Square Garden.
Coach Kevin Willard said, “I thought the biggest thing we adjusted--I thought we were either going to lose by 30 or come back and win the game--we were going to press them back, and I think it got them on their heels a little bit. It gave us a chance to turn them over and get some easy buckets, and I thought that just loosened us up a ton."
The Pirates committed only four second-half turnovers. And even though their final one resulted in two points for St. John’s, it ultimately was more damaging for the Red Storm.
That’s because it was an unforced error, a throwaway by Powell on an apparent miscommunication. But after Nick Rutherford’s two free throws put St. John’s (12-7, 1-5) ahead 71-70 with 2:43 to go, anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of college basketball in 2020 knew that Myles Powell would take it upon himself to atone for that misplay and take over the game.
“We have been blessed to watch him play for the last three years,” Willard said. “He always has that look in his eyes. … He’s the best player in the country.”
Powell said, “When one of the best coaches in the country calls you one of the best, it’s hard to lack confidence. This is why I came back. … I have a great group of teammates, I have a great coaching staff. Without them, I’m nothing.”
All those people he just thanked would vehemently argue that last point, and St. John’s also would be inclined to disagree after Powell scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half, giving him 2,022 for his college career. He is the fifth Pirate to do that, joining Terry Dehere, Nick Werkman, Jeremy Hazell and Greg Tynes.
Powell scored five of The Hall’s final six baskets, the first two on threes, which then opened the door for drives as defenders overplayed Powell for the long-distance shots, leading to more 'blew by yous' than a month of tour dates for a Linda Ronstadt cover band. One of those resulted in a three-point play that fouled out LJ Figueroa (16 points). St. John’s coach Mike Anderson later sidestepped a question about whether Powell had double-dribbled on the play, likely not wanting to incur the Big East’s wrath.
“I have to look back on the tape and see what exactly took place, but it was a big play in the game,” Anderson said, adding, “I thought we were recognizing where (Powell) was and when he was on the floor. I thought he got loose a couple of times. … He just made plays, that’s what he does.”
Still, Seton Hall’s eighth consecutive win and first 6-0 Big East start was not sealed until Myles Cale and McKnight each made 2 of 2 foul shots in the last 20 seconds and Marcellus Earlington’s trey attempt fell short at the final buzzer.
“When we come into this building,” Powell said, “it’s a special place. We feel this is our second home. You know we love coming to the Garden and we’re looking forward to coming back for the tournament.”
Did he mean the Big East or the NCAA East Regionals? We’ll all know come March.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
