Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Seton Hall Finds Redemption in Narrow Win Over Virginia Tech
By BEN BASKINSpecial to ZAGSBLOGNEW YORK — Seton Hall got a shot at redemption in the consolation game of the Coaches vs Cancer Classic at the Barclays Center on Saturday night, and they made the most of it.
After improbably blowing a late lead against Oklahoma on Friday, the Pirates played in another thriller against Virginia Tech and snuck away with a narrow 68-67 win.
For a short period at the end of the game it looked as if Seton Hall might suffer the same fate against the Hokies as they did against the Sooners, but this time around they managed to hold on to their lead. If the Pirates were looking for a way to forget about Friday night’s heartbreaker, earning a hard-fought win in another nail-bitter was the best way to go about it.
“It was great,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said. “These guys really bounced back. The way we lost last night was tough.”
Early on it appeared that Seton Hall might suffer an emotional hangover after their dispiriting loss, as Virginia Tech stormed out to a 14-4 lead before five minutes had even elapsed in the first half. But the Pirates showed some impressive intestinal fortitude, fighting their way back into the game and heading to halftime with a two-point lead, 38-36.
“It was just one of those starts where we started off slow and they just pushed up on us and got the lead early,” Fuquan Edwin said after pouring in a team-high 18 points. “But coach called an early timeout… and told us we needed to pick it up and thats what we did.”
Seton Hall did not relinquish the lead again until a dunk by Ben Emelogu gave Virginia Tech a 57-55 lead with 4:51 left, and everyone in the building couldn’t help but wonder if the Pirates were about to choke away another one.
But Tom Maayan— eight points and five assists— and Edwin would not allow it to happen this time. Maayan — who has made national news in recent weeks because he has to return to Israel by Jan. 2nd to serve in the military — had two crucial layups in a two-minute span keep the game close.
“Tommy was great tonight,,” Willard said. “He looked to go to the basket and score. When he does that he adds a different dimension to his game.”
Seton Hall was still playing from behind, though, until Edwin hit a huge three with 27 seconds left and the Pirates retook the lead 62-61. And this time they did not give it up.
The Pirates hit six consecutive free throws in the last 15 seconds — four by Edwin, two by Sterling Gibbs — to seal the game.
For Edwin, who made a critical mistake late in the collapse against Oklahoma, the game provided an opportunity for him to rest easy again.
“It was killing me during the whole night, I really couldn’t sleep,” Edwin said about his late play on Friday night. “So I wanted to just stay focused on the next game and that’s what I did.”
There was more good news for Seton Hall fans, as Willard noted after the game that the swelling on Patrik Auda’s right foot — which he injured in the first half against Oklahoma — “went down a little bit.”
“It’s good news because it looks like the worst case scenario didn’t happen, which is that he bent the screw,” Willard said. “I’m praying just that he can come back and have a great career.”
Auda has a CAT scan scheduled for Monday where the team will get definitive answer on his condition, but Willard said as of now it looks like he will miss “maybe a month.”
The Pirates will be back in action Sunday, Dec. 1 when they face off against Fairleigh Dickinson.
Photo: NY Post
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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
By BEN BASKIN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
NEW YORK — Seton Hall got a shot at redemption in the consolation game of the Coaches vs Cancer Classic at the Barclays Center on Saturday night, and they made the most of it.
After improbably blowing a late lead against Oklahoma on Friday, the Pirates played in another thriller against Virginia Tech and snuck away with a narrow 68-67 win.
For a short period at the end of the game it looked as if Seton Hall might suffer the same fate against the Hokies as they did against the Sooners, but this time around they managed to hold on to their lead. If the Pirates were looking for a way to forget about Friday night’s heartbreaker, earning a hard-fought win in another nail-bitter was the best way to go about it.
“It was great,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said. “These guys really bounced back. The way we lost last night was tough.”
Early on it appeared that Seton Hall might suffer an emotional hangover after their dispiriting loss, as Virginia Tech stormed out to a 14-4 lead before five minutes had even elapsed in the first half. But the Pirates showed some impressive intestinal fortitude, fighting their way back into the game and heading to halftime with a two-point lead, 38-36.
“It was just one of those starts where we started off slow and they just pushed up on us and got the lead early,” Fuquan Edwin said after pouring in a team-high 18 points. “But coach called an early timeout… and told us we needed to pick it up and thats what we did.”
Seton Hall did not relinquish the lead again until a dunk by Ben Emelogu gave Virginia Tech a 57-55 lead with 4:51 left, and everyone in the building couldn’t help but wonder if the Pirates were about to choke away another one.
But Tom Maayan— eight points and five assists— and Edwin would not allow it to happen this time. Maayan — who has made national news in recent weeks because he has to return to Israel by Jan. 2nd to serve in the military — had two crucial layups in a two-minute span keep the game close.
“Tommy was great tonight,,” Willard said. “He looked to go to the basket and score. When he does that he adds a different dimension to his game.”
Seton Hall was still playing from behind, though, until Edwin hit a huge three with 27 seconds left and the Pirates retook the lead 62-61. And this time they did not give it up.
The Pirates hit six consecutive free throws in the last 15 seconds — four by Edwin, two by Sterling Gibbs — to seal the game.
For Edwin, who made a critical mistake late in the collapse against Oklahoma, the game provided an opportunity for him to rest easy again.
“It was killing me during the whole night, I really couldn’t sleep,” Edwin said about his late play on Friday night. “So I wanted to just stay focused on the next game and that’s what I did.”
There was more good news for Seton Hall fans, as Willard noted after the game that the swelling on Patrik Auda’s right foot — which he injured in the first half against Oklahoma — “went down a little bit.”
“It’s good news because it looks like the worst case scenario didn’t happen, which is that he bent the screw,” Willard said. “I’m praying just that he can come back and have a great career.”
Auda has a CAT scan scheduled for Monday where the team will get definitive answer on his condition, but Willard said as of now it looks like he will miss “maybe a month.”
The Pirates will be back in action Sunday, Dec. 1 when they face off against Fairleigh Dickinson.
Photo: NY Post
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