Seton Hall
Pirates earn revenge, defeat Rutgers 72-66 in Garden State Hardwood Classic
Date: December 15, 2018By Bob Towey
In a rivalry meeting that featured an onslaught of three pointers and technical fouls, Seton Hall men’s basketball (7-3) defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-5) 72-66 in the fifth annual Garden State Hardwood Classic.
Riding the momentum off their victory over the No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats, the Pirates exacted revenge for their 71-65 loss in last year’s classic at the Rutgers Athletic Center to win the Boardwalk Trophy for the fourth time. Myles Powell led all scorers with 28 points, shooting 8-for-17 from the field with 18 points from beyond the arc, plus a perfect 6-for-6 free throws.
“I think everyone’s seen the player [Powell] is,” Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard said. “I think he’s starting to figure out early on in games if he’s not making shots, he has to stay aggressive.”
Aggression was in full force throughout the contest, with five technical fouls assessed to a combination of players from both teams. Seton Hall’s Taurean Thompson, Jared Rhoden, and Michael Nzei each received a technical foul, as well as Rutgers’ Montez Mathis and Peter Kiss.
The Pirates dominated play in the first half, largely due to the team’s tight defense that stopped anyone on Rutgers from scoring double digits in points through the first 20 minutes. Geo Baker, Rutgers’ sophomore guard Geo Baker, who entered the game averaging almost 15 points per game, was held scoreless in the first half.
Entering the second half leading 34-25, Seton Hall kept its foot on the gas. Powell scored 17 points, while Sandro Mamukelashvili recorded 10 points, six of which came on three pointers. Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said Mamukelashvili’s nine total points from deep put Rutgers at a disadvantage, adding that his team did not prepare to handle the big man’s shooting depth in advance.
While Seton Hall had the offensive edge, Rutgers’ dominance of the paint allowed the team to out-rebound the Pirates from start to finish. The Scarlet Knights grabbed 52 rebounds to the Pirates’ 38. But the Pirates received a defensive boost through Romaro Gill, who came off the bench and tallied five blocks and two rebounds in 12 minutes.
En route to Seton Hall securing the Boardwalk Trophy, fans of both teams dished out an immense amount of trash talk online, while the game’s physical, gritty pace demonstrated the intensity of the in-state rivalry. The fans’ passion for the matchup, combined with the pride of winning the Classic, is not lost on the players either.
“It left me with a bad taste all year and I finally got to get them back,” said Powell of losing last year’s Classic, adding that without a doubt, Seton Hall is New Jersey’s premier college basketball team.
Bob Towey can be reached at robert.towey@student.shu.edu.
