Pirates bounced by Wofford 84-68 in NCAA Tournament Opener

Date: March 22, 2019

By Michael Daly

 

Seton Hall’s season came to an end on Thursday night, when the Pirates lost to Wofford 84-68 in their opening game of the NCAA Tournament in Jacksonville, Florida.

 

To begin the contest, Cameron Jackson gave the Terriers an early 2-0 edge with a hook shot just 35 seconds in the game. Sandro Mamukelashvili responded 17 seconds later with a made three-pointer on the left wing. Quincy McKnight knotted the score at five when he took advantage of a put-back opportunity underneath the cylinder with 17:25 remaining.

 

At the 16:11 point in the half, Myles Cale drilled a fast break three-pointer giving Seton Hall a 10-7 lead over Wofford. 1:01 later, Fletcher Magee sank a three-point shot to cut the Terriers’ deficit to two points, 12-10. The Terriers pulled away from Seton Hall with a nine-point lead, 25-16 after Nathan Hoover’s step back jumper with 8:12 on the clock.

 

After McKnight committed a traveling violation, Magee knocked down a three-pointer with 5:10 left in the half giving Wofford a 33-18 lead. With 3:58 remaining, Myles Powell scored a layup on a fast break and the Pirates trailed 34-25. Anthony Nelson’s three-point basket pulled the Pirates within eight points, 58-50, with 1:58 remaining. Keve Aluma’s dunk with 19 seconds remaining gave the Terriers a 40-30 lead over Seton Hall heading into halftime.  

 

Magee set Wofford’s offense in motion to start the second half with a three-pointer and his squad extended their lead on Seton Hall to 43-30, 29 seconds into the half. At the 17:43 waypoint, Powell recorded a three-point play after being fouled on a made layup, as the Pirates came within ten points of Wofford, 43-33. Hoover sank a straightaway three-point shot with 16:06 left, as the Terriers were ahead 48-35.

 

With 15:18 on the clock, McKnight got a layup in transition to fall and the Pirates trailed by seven points, 48-41. Wofford’s Jackson sank two free-throws during his appearance at the free-throw line, which increased his team’s lead to 50-41 with 14:15 on the clock. From the 13:30-12:56 point on the clock, Powell scored five points. His productivity during this time allowed Seton Hall to be within six points of Wofford, as the score was 53-47.  

 

Powell hit two consecutive three-point shots and gave Seton Hall their first lead of the second half when they were ahead 54-53 at the 10:53 juncture. Seton Hall lost their lead following Jackson being able to cash in on two made free-throw attempts at the line and Wofford led 57-54 with 9:49 to go.  

 

Jared Rhoden retook the lead for Seton Hall with a three-pointer on the left arc, as the Pirates were ahead 60-59 with 7:48 remaining. With 5:24 left in the game, Magee’s key three-point shot advanced Wofford’s lead over Seton Hall to 67-62. 48 seconds after, Powell registered a four-point play when he was fouled on a three-point attempt and made his lone free-throw attempt to make it a 67-66 game.   

 

Three consecutive baskets from downtown for Wofford put the game out of reach for the Pirates, as the score was 76-66 with 3:12 left. Wofford finished the final three minutes of the game on an 8-2 run and sealed an 84-68 victory over the Pirates.

 

Wofford finished the game on a 17-2 run over the final 4:19 and outscored Seton Hall 44-38 in the second half. On the night, the Terriers managed to shoot 48.1% from the field, compared to Seton Hall’s field goal percentage of 40.3%.

 

Powell finished the game as Seton Hall’s top scorer with 27 points and connected on 4/11 attempts from distance. Conversely, Magee was the leading scorer for Wofford with 24 points, which came from his seven made three-pointers and three made free-throws. Magee broke the all-time NCAA three-pointers record, as he sank the 505th three-pointer of his career.

 

In response to how Wofford planned for Powell’s scoring efforts, the junior guard said “They're well-coached over there...They knew what they wanted to do. It seemed like every time I drove the ball they were collapsing or if I was coming off pick-and-rolls they were double-teaming.”

 

Powell also spoke on how this team played above expectations this entire season, “This was supposed to be a rebuilding year and we were supposed to be a team that was going to get into the NIT. So for us to play three tough games in the Big East, one of the toughest conferences in the country, and come out here and face a very good Wofford team, I’m proud of my guys.”   

 

Wofford will move forward in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday when they take on the Kentucky Wildcats. Seton Hall ends their season with a 20-14 overall record, following Thursday night’s loss.

 

Michael Daly can be reached at michael.daly@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Men's Basketball, Sports, WSOU