WSOU

Recap: Dre Davis Explodes for 26 in 82-58 Upset Over No. 20 Providence

Date: March 6, 2023

By: Justin Lotito

This article was originally written on March 4, 2023

Dre Davis driving to the bucket.

Kayla Fonseca/WSOU

Before the match even began, things were not looking great for the Pirates.

Key players Kadary Richmond and Tray Jackson were ruled out. Richmond was still unable to go due to a lingering back injury which he suffered against the UConn Huskies, while Tray Jackson was dealing with a sprained ankle.

Due to the injuries, the Pirates were limited to only five scholarship players.

With Jackson out, who is a valuable big man, Tyrese Samuel would have his hands full.

Samuel proved to be an impact early on. He scored the game’s first point after drawing a foul. Samuel slammed the ball in twice and had a big block to stop a seemingly easy layup attempt.

However, Samuel’s aggressive play resulted in two fouls with a little over 10 minutes left in the first half.

With Samuel in foul trouble and the Pirates down multiple bigs, coach Shaheen Holloway knew The Hall would have to change their rebounding plan. In a huddle, Holloway directed that all five players crash the glass.

Considering Seton Hall’s lack of depth for the contest, other Pirates would have to step up. Dre Davis was one of those players for The Hall.

Davis scored 11 first half points. He drilled a three, shot two from two from the free throw line, and hit a nice fadeaway basket.

Help from players like Davis resulted in the Pirates scoring field goals on 11 straight possessions. The Pirates led the Friars 44-25 at the half, ending the half on a 17-2 scoring run.

The second half picked off just where the first half ended. After a nice move by Femi Odukale, he dished out a perfect pass to Dawes who drained the three. On the very next possession after Providence drained a three, KC Ndefo took an uncharacteristic three and made it.

After the first few threes from The Hall, momentum began swinging Providence’s way. The Friars went on a run of their own, scoring seven baskets to The Hall’s none.

With their massive lead cutting smaller and smaller by the minute, things began getting chippy. Ndefo received a technical after getting into an argument with a Friar. On the ensuing possession, Samuel received a flagrant one, after elbowing a Friar in the face.

After a few suspenseful minutes for Pirate fans, Seton Hall began to pull away again. The late second half surge was due to the outstanding play from Davis and Odukale. Off the bench, Davis scored 24 points, shooting 90 percent from the field. Odukale scored 19 points and stole the ball four times.

Even though the win has no BIG EAST tournament standing implications, the win is a huge one for the Pirates. The Hall enters the tournament with momentum and is another huge win for their March Madness resume.

Seton Hall will take on the DePaul Blue Demons in the first round of the BIG EAST tournament on March 8, with Joe Matthews and Jonathan Heite on the call. Tune into WSOU 89.5 for coverage.

Justin Lotito can be reached at justin.lotito@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports

Seton Hall

Seton Hall

Merchandise

wsou store