PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting
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By Tyler Calvaruso
Seton Hall was down 19 in the first half and running on fumes against Penn State on Sunday night. The Pirates could have easily rolled over and ended their stretch of four games in six days with a third straight disappointing loss.
That is not in the DNA of Kevin Willard’s program, though.
Seton Hall cut Penn State’s lead to 11 by halftime and went blow for blow with the Nittany Lions in the second half to force overtime. Still battling major fatigue over the last five minutes, the Pirates found their second gear and a Shavar Reynolds three from the wing with 38 seconds remaining put them up 93-91 and in front for good in a hard-fought 98-92 win.
Sandro Mamukelashvili delivered time and time again throughout the second half and overtime, notching a career-high 30 points. Unlike Seton Hall’s previous two games, the Pirates star received some help, as Myles Cale scored 16 points and played efficiently at both ends of the floor, Jared Rhoden added 15 points and eight rebounds, Reynolds had 10 points and seven assists to go along with his clutch three and Takal Molson chipped in 12 points – including two big free throws down the stretch after a Seton Hall defensive stop.
Seton Hall endured plenty of adversity in State College. It shot a porous 23-35 (66%) from the free throw line and Penn State was unconscious from three for most of the game. Despite their slow start, the gas tank nearly being on empty, an underwhelming game at the charity stripe and Penn State’s prowess from three, the Pirates still did enough to improve to 2-3 in what was a key non-conference game with Big East play approaching.
That is all that needs to be known about the makeup of this year’s Seton Hall team.
Quick Thoughts
-Sandro Mamukelashvili stepped up to the plate and delivered when Seton Hall needed him the most. He was probably the most fatigued of anyone on the floor, yet made play after play after play to propel the Pirates to a win. Kevin Willard is right; Seton Hall is at its best when Mamukelashvili has the ball and things are running through him.
-Seton Hall’s largest comeback since overcoming a 23-point deficit against Robert Morris in 2007, largest against a high-major since 2006. If there was ever a group to come back from being 19 points down against a Big Ten opponent, it is this one.
-You cannot say enough about Shavar Reynolds at this point. He has been massive for Seton Hall at both ends of the floor and never hides in the clutch. He definitely loves shooting that three from the wing, too.
-Takal Molson truly is a junkyard dog, as Willard called him postgame. He never takes a play off and his motor is always running. He is not the multi-dimensional offensive threat Quincy McKnight turned out to be, but he has done a good job filling McKnight’s glue-guy role so far this season.
-Key performances from Myles Cale and Jared Rhoden. Neither player lit up the box score, but Seton Hall does not need them to. If Cale and Rhoden are consistently in double figures, are engaged and are locked in on defense, Seton Hall is going to be in a good spot to win games.
-How about Ike Obiagu offensively? He was a much-needed boost for Seton Hall on that end of the floor while remaining an imposing presence on defense.
“When you can throw it down to him and get him a dunk or easy layup, it kind of makes life easier on everybody,” Willard said. He sets pick and rolls. He is rolling and we're finding him. He did a great job making himself available."
Obiagu certainly made himself available against Penn State, that is not up for debate. It would be nice to see his footwork around the rim improve, but double digits against a quality opponent is nothing to scoff at considering how little Obiagu brought offensively last season.
-Plenty of positives came out of Sunday night’s win, but there are still two issues that need to be addressed: perimeter defense and free throw shooting. The perimeter defense can be fixed (it improved as the game went on). The free throw shooting? Probably not. That is a problem that has plagued the Pirates for years and it is tough to see that changing anytime soon. Keeping players after practice to work on their stroke from the charity stripe is not going to turn Seton Hall into an 80% free throw shooting team.
-When it comes time to reflect on the 2020-21 Seton Hall Pirates, this game could potentially wind up being viewed as a season-changing one. Winning in the manner it did on the road against a quality opponent bodes extremely well for Seton Hall with Big East play nearing.
