PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting
The definitive source for all PirateCrew news.
By JP Pelzman
Seton Hall was trailing by seven, and the Pirates had made only three of their first 12 shots from the floor.
An 0-3 start was staring the Pirates in their collective faces. That is, until their defense turned the tide.
Seton Hall got six consecutive stops during a game-turning 13-1 run on its way to a 71-56 victory over Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Tuesday night. The No. 24 Pirates also held the Bulldogs without a field goal for a span of 7:09 in the first half.
Jared Rhoden scored 17 points, Alexis Yetna had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Bryce Aiken had 12 points and seven assists for the Pirates (10-3, 1-2 Big East), who have won four of their last six games at Butler.
“We have some sixth-year seniors, a bunch of fifth-year seniors, so we’ve got a lot of guys that have played in really tough environments,” coach Kevin Willard said in the post-game, as quoted by the Associated Press. “You have a lot of guys who have won in Hinkle throughout their years. Jared Rhoden hit a game-winning shot in this building (as a sophomore). We decided to keep our composure.”
Seton Hall also was buoyed by the return of 7 foot+ Ike Obiagu, who scored eight first-half points and had two blocked shots. Obiagu, who had missed the previous two games because of COVID-19 protocols, altered shots by the Bulldogs (8-5, 1-1) and also intimidated them from taking shots in the paint.
Obiagu played 28 minutes.
Willard told broadcasters Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin on the 970 AM Radio postgame that he kept asking Obiagu how he was feeling in terms of stamina.
“I said, ‘As long as you keep feeling fine you’re going to keep staying out there.’"
“A big difference was Obiagu back there,” associate head coach Grant Billmeier said, as quoted by AP. “He’s a 7-foot-1 load down low. You could be a little more aggressive on the perimeter knowing you have one of the best shot-blockers in the country.”
With the Pirates down 16-9, Kadary Richmond got things going for Seton Hall with a pair of baskets sandwiched around a three-pointer by Myles Cale. That burst tied the score at 16 with 10:18 left in the first half.
Bryce Golden (game-high 19 points) made one of two foul shots to briefly slow the Seton Hall run, but Obiagu scored two consecutive baskets in the paint and Yetna made a power move for a basket that put the Pirates ahead 22-17 with 6:51 to go in the half.
Bryce Nze’s three-point play cut the Bulldogs’ deficit to 24-23, but the Pirates finished the half on a 10-3 run for a 34-26 advantage at intermission. The last basket was a stepback three by Aiken.
Golden’s three-pointer 1:50 into the second half trimmed the Pirates’ lead to 39-34. Butler later cut its deficit to 44-38 on a basket by Thompson.
But Seton Hall scored the next six points on a three-point play by Aiken after his own steal and a three-pointer by Yetna for a 50-38 lead with 13:03 left in the game. Golden then scored off a pick-and-roll and hit a long jumper to make it 50-42.
Seton Hall increased its lead to 12 and Butler only got as close as 58-52 on a three by Nze with 4:01 left. But the Pirates limited the Bulldogs to two baskets the rest of the way to seal the victory.
“Not practicing for 15 days is really, really hard,” Willard said, via AP. “Rhoden had COVID and he’s out here playing 32 minutes a game, so they’re showing great heart.”
“They picked up their energy midway through the first half where we didn’t match,” Butler coach LaVall Jordan said via AP. “I thought we had good starts to both halves. It’s just sustaining. We always say tougher team sets the rules.”
Willard told Cohen and Popkin, “We’re a really good team when we’re at full strength.”
And that could begin to happen sooner rather than later. Willard indicated to them he is optimistic that 6-10 forward Tyrese Samuel, who also has been out because of COVID protocols, could be back for this weekend's home game versus the UConn Huskies led by former SHU player Danny Hurley.
