Seton Hall
Powell goes for 31, Pirates edge Providence 65-63
Date: January 30, 2019By Andrea Keppler
The Seton Hall men’s basketball team snapped their four game losing streak after defeating the Providence Friars 65-63 at the Rock on Wednesday night.
Myles Powell said the team “[had] to save [the] season, and we did that tonight.”
The Hall was up 34-27 entering the second half, but Providence came out firing from all cylinders and went on a 13 point route of the Pirates to break the game open and take a six point lead.
Quincy McKnight finally broke the Hall’s silence and converted on the fast break opportunity on a Friar turnover, but David Duke retaliated and nailed a three from downtown nine seconds later to give Providence a 45-38 edge.
Powell has been the offensive catalyst for the Hall the entire season, and after a disappointing performance at Villanova last Sunday, the Pirates needed their leading scorer to be on his A-game more than ever.
The junior did what he does best and provided the team with the offensive spark they needed in their scoring drought. He connected on a three with 14:50 left on the clock for his 20th point on the game and gave the Pirates the lead with another three at 7:31.
Head Coach Kevin Willard acknowledged Powell’s presence and importance on the team and said the Pirates “can't go five minutes without [him] touching the ball.”
Powell scored 31 points in 38 minutes of action. Michael Nzei was the second leading scorer for the Pirates with 12 points.
The Pirates shot 75% from the charity stripe and 28.6% from behind the arc. They edged the Friars in rebounds with 38 and points in the paint with 40.
Seton Hall has nine more games remaining in addition to the Big East tournament in March. With a tough four games behind them and Wednesday’s win over Providence, Willard said the team is in a phenomenal place.
"We've had some tough Januaries and the one thing I've learned from those is [to] be positive.” Willard said. “We have a long journey ahead.”
Seton Hall now improves to 13-8 on the season and will travel to Indianapolis to face Butler on Saturday, Feb. 2. Coverage begins at 11:45 a.m. on WSOU, wsou.net and WSOU on iHeartRadio.
Andrea Keppler can be reached at andrea.keppler@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @keppler_andrea.
