By JP Pelzman
Well, at least Seton Hall showed it could beat the likes of Wagner without Sandro Mamukelashvili for an extended period of time.
The Pirates might not be so fortunate against a Big East team.
Mamukelashvili sat out the last 16:39 of Seton Hall’s 78-45 victory over Wagner on Tuesday night.
No, not because the game was out of hand, but because he had been ejected for a double flagrant technical foul for a brief encounter between himself and Wagner guard Chase Freeman after a scramble for a loose ball.
The 5-11 Freeman shoved the 6-11 Mamukelashvili, who responded in kind with what could barely be described as a head butt, slightly making contact with the much shorter Freeman’s forehead. But that was enough for the officiating crew of Tony Henderson, A.J. Desai and Tommy Morrissey to call flagrant technical fouls on both Mamukelashvili and Freeman, banishing them each from the game with the Pirates ahead 38-25.
Against the outclassed Seahawks from the Northeast Conference, it hardly mattered. But if something similar happened against a Big East team, it could be a major problem.
“It was just, more or less, two guys trying to make a basketball play, and getting a little bit heated,” coach Kevin Willard said. “It happens. I think, moving forward, Sandro knows that he’s going to be challenged, night-in, night-out. … It’s just a little frustration at times. I wouldn’t read too much into it.”
The early exit of Mamukelashvili, who was not made available for comment, wasn’t a concern on this night because Jared Rhoden scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and because center Ike Obiagu had his best game as a Pirate. Obiagu had a career-high 20 points and was 12-for-15 from the foul line. His eight blocked shots tied a Prudential Center record set last season by former teammate Romaro Gill.
“I think when he made his first couple free throws, it gave him confidence,” Willard said. Obiagu had been 7-for-15 (46.7%) from the line prior to Tuesday.
“Coach (Willard) showed me what I was doing wrong” with his free throws, Obiagu said. “I had a hitch on it.”
Willard added, “I think Grant (assistant coach Billmeier) has been doing a great job of creating better angles with him, angles off screens, angles off (pick-and-)rolls, angles off ducking in, and he’s starting to get the reps and get a little more confidence.”
Wagner (0-1) was within 22-21 at one point, but Seton Hall closed the first half with a 15-0 run, holding the Seahawks scoreless for the final 7:30 of the first half. The Pirates (3-3) will face St. John’s, barring any COVID interruptions, in the Big East opener Friday at the Prudential Center.
DePaul was supposed to be The Hall’s first conference opponent, but the Blue Demons have yet to play a game because of the virus. Meanwhile, the Pirates played six games in a span of 12 days without interruption.
“It’s really rewarded us in that we’ve gotten better every game,” Willard said of that stretch, which came after a two-week pause because of positive tests. “I don’t think if we had stayed at home and practiced against each other, we would have learned what we needed to work on and what we needed to get better at.”
The trip included 13-point losses at Rhode Island and against Oregon in Omaha, followed by an inspirational overtime victory at Penn State. The Pirates rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit and trailed by eight with 1:50 to go in regulation.
“It was a long week,” Rhoden said. “We learned to be resilient and keep going.”
Point guard Shavar Reynolds said the team learned on the trip to “trust ourselves, and when we stay solid defensively, and play together, we’re a very good team.”
And also make sure to keep Mamukelashvili on the court.
