WSOU

Recap: Pirates edge Bulldogs late in the game, 68-60

Date: January 2, 2021

By: Will Swankie

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Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports

Following their impressive win on Wednesday the Seton Hall Pirates came home to the Prudential Center hoping to have a repeat performance against a struggling Butler Bulldogs team. The Pirates won 68-60, but the story of this game was much closer than the final score.

 

Early in the game the Bulldogs came out clicking on all cylinders, jumping out to a 18-11 lead. It was an unexpected performance from freshman guard Myles Tate propelling Butler as he put up an impressive 22 points shooting five of eight from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs three-point prowess was the X-Factor which allowed them to jump out to an early lead. Butler shot a consistent 50% from downtown for the game - a full 21% higher than Seton Hall.

 

Despite the disparity in three-point shooting it was the Pirates who closed out the first half with a run. Led by Sandro Mamukelashvili’s thirteen first-half points coupled with Jared Rhoden’s 10, the Pirates were able to secure a nine-point lead as the two teams headed to their locker rooms. It would be Rhoden and Mamukelashvili leading the way for Seton Hall for the rest of the game. Rhoden shot an outstanding seven of 11 from the floor, good for 19 points to go along with seven rebounds. For Mamu, it was an all-around great performance as he put up a game-high 24 points, adding nine rebounds as well as six assists. 

“I think he’s growing into his role really nicely,” Coach Kevin Willard said on the play on Mamukelashvili. “I still think he has another level that he is going to get to this season.”

 

As the second half progressed the game began to tighten once again. Seton Hall had floundered after leading by 13. The Pirates had allowed a 11-0 run after halftime, and eventually the Bulldogs were able to shave the lead to just one with less than five minutes remaining.

 

The Pirates had not made a field goal in over three minutes until a clutch three from Myles Cale extended their lead to five with 2:26 left in the game. Cale struggled with his shooting all afternoon but stepped up when the Pirates desperately needed a bucket.

Although Seton Hall had hoped for a convincing win, they still were able to edge out Butler by eight. Strong free throw shooting kept the Pirates in the game as they were able to convert 17 of 20 shots from the line. It was a different story for the Bulldogs as they struggled going just five of nine from the charity stripe.

 

For Butler, their next contest will be at home where they will welcome the Georgetown Hoyas. For the Pirates they will begin a bit of a road trip as four of their next five games will be away from their home court. They will travel to Nebraska to face the nationally ranked Creighton Bluejays on Jan. 6.

Will Swankie can be reached at william.swankie@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Men's Basketball, Sports, WSOU

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