By Zack Cziryak
The Seton Hall Pirates are NIT champions for the second time after a comeback victory over Indiana State on Thursday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Dre Davis’ twirling layup through traffic with under 30 seconds left would cap a 9-0 run and 79-77 lead that would mark the final score after a final defensive stand and a flurry of late Sycamore attempts failed to drop. The outburst from the Pirates (25-12) followed an 8-0 run from Indiana State that left the game at 77-70 in favor of the pseudo home team.
Davis finished 18 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocks while Kadary Richmond notched a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds to go along with 5 assists. Al-Amir Dawes, the tournament’s most outstanding player, led all scorers with 24 points and swiped the ball 4 times.
The two squads, each among the NCAA Tournament’s first four out, traded the lead several times late in the game, with Richmond converting an and-1 off a pass from the top of the key from Elijah Hutchins-Everett to give the Pirates a 70-69 lead.
Moments earlier Dawes re-tied the game at 65 with a three-pointer after a Sycamore 8-0 run took the lead for Indiana State (32-7).
The Hall was in control much of the game but squandered its largest lead in the first half after a Dre Davis 3-pointer with 3:31 remaining would be the last Pirate points and an 11-0 run tied the championship bout at 39 apiece heading into intermission. Undeterred, they jumped out of the gates with a 12-3 run to start the second half on the back of three-pointers by Richmond and Davis.
The Pirates’ defense generated 6 blocks to 1 from Indiana State and forced 15 turnovers on 8 steals, turning them into 20 points, which helped offset being outrebounded 37-31 and outshot 46.7% to 45.2%. The Hall did reach the charity stripe 19 times, converting 17 times for 89.5% compared to 9-10 for Indiana State.
Four Indiana State players reached double digits, paced by Isaiah Swope’s 19 points in addition to 18 points from Julian Larry and 13 points apiece from Robbie Avila and Jayson Kent.
The Sycamores shot 12-32 from beyond the arc, with Indianapolis native Ryan Conwell, who shot 41.7% from three this season, hitting just 1 of 9 attempts for 3 points to go along with 12 rebounds.
The victory results in some hardware for the Pirates’ trophy case and moved the Hall to 3-0 at Hinkle this season after a road victory in conference play at host Butler and an NIT semifinal matchup against Georgia on Tuesday night.
The Seton Hall Pirates are NIT champions for the second time after a comeback victory over Indiana State on Thursday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Dre Davis’ twirling layup through traffic with under 30 seconds left would cap a 9-0 run and 79-77 lead that would mark the final score after a final defensive stand and a flurry of late Sycamore attempts failed to drop. The outburst from the Pirates (25-12) followed an 8-0 run from Indiana State that left the game at 77-70 in favor of the pseudo home team.
Davis finished 18 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocks while Kadary Richmond notched a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds to go along with 5 assists. Al-Amir Dawes, the tournament’s most outstanding player, led all scorers with 24 points and swiped the ball 4 times.
The two squads, each among the NCAA Tournament’s first four out, traded the lead several times late in the game, with Richmond converting an and-1 off a pass from the top of the key from Elijah Hutchins-Everett to give the Pirates a 70-69 lead.
Moments earlier Dawes re-tied the game at 65 with a three-pointer after a Sycamore 8-0 run took the lead for Indiana State (32-7).
The Hall was in control much of the game but squandered its largest lead in the first half after a Dre Davis 3-pointer with 3:31 remaining would be the last Pirate points and an 11-0 run tied the championship bout at 39 apiece heading into intermission. Undeterred, they jumped out of the gates with a 12-3 run to start the second half on the back of three-pointers by Richmond and Davis.
The Pirates’ defense generated 6 blocks to 1 from Indiana State and forced 15 turnovers on 8 steals, turning them into 20 points, which helped offset being outrebounded 37-31 and outshot 46.7% to 45.2%. The Hall did reach the charity stripe 19 times, converting 17 times for 89.5% compared to 9-10 for Indiana State.
Four Indiana State players reached double digits, paced by Isaiah Swope’s 19 points in addition to 18 points from Julian Larry and 13 points apiece from Robbie Avila and Jayson Kent.
The Sycamores shot 12-32 from beyond the arc, with Indianapolis native Ryan Conwell, who shot 41.7% from three this season, hitting just 1 of 9 attempts for 3 points to go along with 12 rebounds.
The victory results in some hardware for the Pirates’ trophy case and moved the Hall to 3-0 at Hinkle this season after a road victory in conference play at host Butler and an NIT semifinal matchup against Georgia on Tuesday night.
