PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting
The definitive source for all PirateCrew news.
By Colin Rajala
Seton Hall opened March with a renewed sense of purpose, shaking off its longest losing streak of the year, five of the last six, by closing out the Big East regular season with an 82-58 rout at
20th ranked Providence to split the season series.
“Obviously a win period is huge, but a win like this to end the (regular) season like this is huge for us. It's a big confidence-booster, just to get momentum on our side," junior wing Dre Davis said, after the
game.
Seton Hall finished the regular season 17-14 and 10-10 in conference play, making Shaheen Holloway the program’s leader in regular season wins and Big East wins by a first-year head coach - passing his
former coaches George Blaney and Tommy Amaker, respectively.
Holloway’s Pirates will build on their fifth conference road victory with their sights now set on post season play and the Big East Tournament, where they enter as a seven seed looking to win their way
into the Big Dance or improve their seeding in the NIT.
Knowing all too well about peaking at the right time of the season, Head Coach Shaheen Holloway remarked in his postgame radio spot, "This is March. This is the time you want to be playing your best,”
Davis is rounding back into form at just the right time for The Hall after missing six contests prior to returning in Tuesday night’s narrow loss to Villanova.
David led all scorers in the Saturday matinee squash with a career-high 24 points off the bench, including 4-4 from long distance, to go along with four rebounds and two assists.
“It’s just a matter of him getting healthy and staying healthy and finding rhythm. He’s peaking at the right time.” Holloway said.
Seton Hall is also getting increased production from junior wing Femi Odukale, who has taken over more on-ball responsibility as junior guard Kadary Richmond remained sidelined with a back injury for a third consecutive game. Odukale stuffed the stat sheet against the Friars with 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals, building off his 14, 10, 6 night against Villanova earlier in the week.
“Femi’s doing a great job in adjusting to that role. Over the past two games you’ve seen how productive he’s been in that spot, and it’s been huge for us.”
Odukale recorded 14 points in the first half, including 11 as part of a 17-2 run over the final eight minutes of the half to give the Pirates a 19-point advantage at the break, 44-25.
Helping fuel the first half run was defensive stalwart graduate forward KC Ndefo, who finished the game with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Senior guard Al-Amir Dawes chipped in with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists to round out the Pirates scoring in double figures.
Known as a defensive squad, Seton Hall’s offense recorded their highest point total in conference play and led by as much as 32 late in the second half, finishing the game shooting 62.5% from the field (30-
48) and 55.8% from three (10-18) on 18 assists.
The Pirates defense traveled like it as has so often this season, holding Providence to 40.4% shooting from the field (23-57), 17.4% from long distance (4-23), outrebounding the larger Friars 32-26 and forcing
11 turnovers.
Seton Hall stymied the conference’s third leading scorer, Bryce Harper (16.5 ppg), holding him to four points on 2-9 shooting from the field and 0-4 from long range, while turning him over four times.
Pacing Providence was Devin Carter with 14 points and five rebounds, Ed Croswell with 13 points and nine rebounds and Jared Bynum with 12 points. Croswell and Bynum combined for 17 of the team’s first
23 points, but only accounted for eight of the team’s final 35 points.
Seton Hall will square off with the 10th seeded DePaul Blue Demons Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the first round of the Big East Tournament with the winner set to face second seeded Xavier Thursday evening at 7 p.m.
