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Recap: Pirates Can't Get it Done on Senior Night, Fall to Villanova 76-72

Date: March 1, 2023

By: Justin Nicosia

Tyrese Samuel muscling his way for two.

Kayla Fonseca/WSOU

Sports are often times poetic. And just like poems, they can be tragic. That was certainly the case Tuesday night when Seton Hall took a 76-72 loss to Villanova on senior night, in a game which saw an insane total of 10 ties and 20 lead changes.

Free throws have been the thorn in Seton Hall’s side all season – if the Pirates had just made their free throws, they’d be 19-11 and firmly inside the NCAA Tournament field. Instead, they lost tight games to Siena, Xavier, and Providence on missed free throws and are now 16-14 with hopes of hearing their name called for the NIT.

Yet on Tuesday, it wasn’t missing free throws that hurt Shaheen Holloway’s squad, which went 14-of-18 from the line. Rather, it was Villanova’s refusal to do so. The Wildcats made their first 22 free throws, including 11 in the game’s final minute, to secure a victory and the No. 6 seed in the BIG EAST Conference Tournament.

“That’s Villanova. That’s what they’ve been doing. That’s what they do,” said coach Shaheen Holloway.

“It’s hard to beat a team when they miss one free throw all game,” added senior Tyrese Samuel, who stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, including a three-pointer, to go along with five rebounds and three steals.

The three-point battle was just another stanza in the poem that was senior night. Five different players made a shot from distance, tying a season-high. But even though the Pirates had one of their best shooting performances of the season, the defense that ranked second in the conference in perimeter defense allowed Villanova to shoot 10-for-23 (43.5 percent) from distance.

For some teams, a defensive mark like that can just be chalked up to a lack of effort. But for Seton Hall on Tuesday night, that wasn’t the case.

“They were just running their stuff and got the right reads,” said Samuel.

Senior guard Justin Moore led the charge for Villanova, scoring a game-high 23 points. Freshman Cam Whitmore and senior Eric Dixon both reached double figures, adding 19 and 18, respectively.

A sizable portion of those points – eight of Moore’s and three of Dixon’s – came from free throws in the final minute. Their insistence on making late free throws allowed them to keep their lead at three points.

Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune opted to foul Seton Hall twice in the final ten seconds with a three-point lead, as opposed to allowing the Pirates get off a game-tying three-pointer.

The third time Seton Hall had a chance to inbound the ball down three, Femi Odukale attempted a baseball pass to KC Ndefo near halfcourt, which got broken up by Dixon.

“We were kind of on the fly trying to adjust to it,” explained Holloway. “I thought they were going to foul us like they’d been doing and wanted to try to get Al the ball in the half-court.”

Odukale’s fantastic night should not be overshadowed by a turnover on a desperate last-second play. The junior lay claim to his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He also recorded a season-high in assists with six.

His performance came at a critical time, with junior guard Kadary Richmond (back) missing his second consecutive game. While Richmond’s statuses for both Saturday’s game against Providence and the BIG EAST tournament remain up in the air, one thing is certain about the impact he can have on his teammates from the sidelines.

“I talked to Kadary a lot,” said Femi. “[We] sit down and watch certain reads to see what I can do better.”

And although Seton Hall will be looking forward to Saturday, Samuel took time after the game as a senior to reflect on his time as a Pirate.

“The outcome wasn’t what I wanted, but I just want to thank Seton Hall for everything you guys have done for me,” said Samuel.

“I’m still thinking about [returning for my final year of eligibility,” he added. But right now, I’m not really focused on that. I’m really still trying to win this season and make March Madness.”

With their hopes of an at-large bid all but over, Seton Hall’s road to March Madness begins at the BIG EAST Tournament next Wednesday when they take on DePaul.

If they can win four games at Madison Square Garden and crown themselves BIG EAST champions, the Pirates will hear their name called on Selection Sunday. Many people will be quick to count out Seton Hall, but that doesn’t matter because…

"Tomorrow's the first of March. Anything can happen," reminds Odukale.

Justin Nicosia can be reached at justin.nicosia@student.shu.edu.

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