Seton Hall Takes Down Butler in Front of a Sold Out Crowd

Published: Tuesday, February 27, 2024

by Spencer Gonzales

Three was the magic number for the Seton Hall Pirates (18-9, 11-5 CONF) on Saturday night, as the three captains Kadary Richmond, Dre Davis, and Al-Amir Dawes combined for 60 points in an exciting 76-64 win over the Butler Bulldogs (16-12, 7-10 CONF).

The atmosphere at the Prudential Center was electric, as a sold-out audience injected the Pirates big three with all the energy they needed to get the job done.

It was clear from the opening tip that The Hall was hungry for a win, as they quickly turned three steals into three fastbreak buckets to jump out to an early lead. https://x.com/SetonHallMBB/status/1761570589385412964?s=20

The staunch Pirate defense perfectly complimented their surgical offense, which attacked a Bulldog squad that was not on the same page.

Richmond maneuvered through the lane, Davis worked the elbows and baseline, and Dawes rotated around the arch in what was a perfect symphony of scoring. Through the first 20 minutes, all but four of Seton Hall’s 37 points came from the captains.

Though the Pirates were looking strong on the attack, the Bulldogs managed to hang around, making eight 3-pointers in the first half to make it a 37-32 game.

In the first parts of the second half, Butler kept it a close one, matching each bucket from The Hall with one of their own, and bringing the deficit down to two multiple times.

Pierre Brooks nailed a three to make it a two-point game with 10:33 to go, but that would be the closest they would get to the lead all night. From then on, Butler went on almost an eight-minute drought without a field goal, as the Pirates began to lock down on defense. https://x.com/SetonHallMBB/status/1761586902610715043?s=20

Though the stat sheet won’t show it, Dylan Addae-Wusu and Jaden Bediako were integral parts of this win, as they added key plays on defense down the stretch to prevent a Bulldog comeback.

Addae-Wusu was a pest off-ball, fighting through screens and cutting into passing lanes to wreak havoc on the Butler offense. Bediako dominated the paint from start to finish, swatting away four shots and securing nine rebounds, which put him over 200 boards on the year.

In the waning moments, Seton Hall kept their foot on the gas as Davis and Richmond continued to take it to the hole to draw and-one opportunities.

Though the Bulldogs managed to hang around, The Hall secured a passionate win that showcased the full potential of this Pirates squad.

“I feel like when we have fun, we’re at our best,” said Dawes after the game, who had a ball knocking down three from beyond the arch for 19 points. Richmond and Davis joined in on the party with 20 and 21 respectively, each having a field day getting the win in front of a great crowd.

Coach Shaheen Holloway was proud of the production he saw from his captains and said that a key to ending the season strong is by letting “our three guys [Richmond, Davis, and Dawes] be our three guys, period.”

The Pirates will look to let the good times roll as they hit the road to take on No. 15 Creighton on Wednesday, Feb. 28, where our very own Ryan Henry and Bobby Steiner will have the call.

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