Seton Hall
Powell records 37 points in No.12 Seton Hall's 76-73 loss to No. 3 Michigan State
Date: November 15, 2019By: Michael Daly
The Seton Hall Pirates (2-1 overall record) fell to Michigan State (2-1 overall record) 76-73 on Thursday night at the Prudential Center. Seton Hall squandered a five-point lead to the Spartans with just under two minutes to play in the second half.
Seton Hall did not score a field goal in the final 2:40 of the game. During that time span, Michigan State orchestrated a run that included making their final three attempts from the field, and six of their final eight shots. Myles Powell attempted a three-pointer in the final seconds in an effort to tie the game at 76 with the hopes of going into overtime, but the Spartans held on.
“Myles Powell is one of the best kids I’ve ever seen in college basketball,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said about playing against Powell.
Powell was initially listed as a game-time decision before the game. When the announcement was made that he was in Seton Hall’s starting lineup it was met by roaring cheers at the Prudential Center. Powell scored a miraculous 37 points, despite his status being in question just minutes before the game tipped off.
Myles Cale spoke on when he found out that Powell would be playing; “He said that he felt good in warmups. In the layup line he felt good. That’s when I knew.”
Michigan State has grieved since last Saturday over the loss of Zachary Winston. This victory for the Spartans helped lift the morale of the team during a turbulent time in the program, where the team rallied around their leader, Cassius Winston.
Xavier Tillman started the game off with a jumper to give Michigan State an early 2-0 lead over Seton Hall. Winston put the Spartans out in front of Seton Hall with a 5-0 advantage at the 18:20 mark. Sandro Mamukelashvili put the Pirates on the board with a ferocious two-handed dunk to make it a 5-2 game. Thomas Kithier found his way into this rotation for Michigan State leading up to this game against Seton Hall. The forward nailed a three-pointer, which gave Michigan State an 8-3 lead.
At the 14:46 mark in the first half, Powell was fouled on a three-point attempt by Kithier in transition and he sank all the three attempts at the free throw line. After the three free throws, Seton Hall took a 10-9 lead. Freshman Tyrese Samuel swished a three-point shot with 11:46 to go in the opening half, which put Seton Hall within one point, 19-18.
The Pirates trailed the Spartans 27-25 from the 5:00 mark to 3:32 left in the half, until Powell sprinted past the Spartans’ defense and scored a layup on a fast break to knot the game at 27. Rocket Watts knocked down a three-pointer with 1:47 left and Michigan State went into the half ahead of Seton Hall, 30-27.
To start the second half off, Cale secured a defensive rebound at the 19:08 waypoint and drilled a three-pointer to give the Pirates a 33-32 lead. This was their first lead since they were ahead with 13 minutes left in the first half.
Malik Hall’s three-pointer with 12 minutes to go gave Michigan State a three-point, 50-47 advantage over Seton Hall. Less than two minutes later, Anthony Nelson hit a jumper and the Pirates were out in front 55-53.
Hall and Winston scored two consecutive baskets for Michigan State with less than seven minutes remaining in the game, and the Spartans were on top of Seton Hall 63-58. With 2:40 left, Powell lifted the Pirates above the Spartans, 71-66, with two made three-pointers in a row.
Michigan State trailed 71-69 with 1:02 remaining in the game, and Winston connected on a three-pointer on the left arc, which gave the Spartans a 72-69 lead. Powell handed Seton Hall the 73-72 lead back with 43 seconds left, after he was fouled by Gabe Brown. However, Michigan State would eventually hold on to win 76-73 in a thrilling road victory for the Spartans.
This game was an anomaly from what November games in college basketball usually are. Michigan State’s head coach Izzo spoke about the game and said; “I feel very fortunate to win that game. That was a March game in November. College basketball needs games like that.”
After this game, Seton Hall and Michigan State are now 2-1 on the season, respectively. Michigan State will be back in action at home in East Lansing, Mich., on Monday night against Charleston Southern at 6:30 p.m. Seton Hall seeks a road win against St. Louis on Sunday at 4 p.m.
Michael Daly is the Web Editor for WSOU Sports and can be reached at wsousportswebeditor@gmail.com.
Posted in: Sports, WSOU, Men's Basketball
