Seton Hall Enters Holidays on Good Note
by Ray Floriani
NEWARK, N.J. – The win was number 150 in Bobby Gonzalez’s career. “It would have been a memorable one even if it was number two,” said the Seton Hall coach following a wild 112-110 triumph over James Madison on Saturday.
If you arrived with five minutes to go at the Prudential Center you saw it all – namely, a furious comeback by Seton Hall, followed by an almost-as-exciting extra session of basketball. JMU of the Colonial Athletic Association led by 19 with just over 17 minutes to play. The Dukes even had a nine-point lead with just under 75 seconds remaining. JMU, the better team for 37 plus minutes, simply collapsed under the Pirates’ pressure the last ninety seconds.
“The bottom line is if there’s time on the clock you can’t count us out,” Gonzalez said. Seton Hall used a zone press after made three-pointers, a man press after two-point field goals and a “different” press after free throws.
“We were ready for their pressure and presses,” JMU coach Dean Kenner said. “We just started committing turnovers and got out of our attack mode.”
Seton Hall forced turnovers and converted through penetration the final minute. They forced OT with seconds left.
In the extra session Seton Hall drew first blood, but to their credit the visiting Dukes didn’t get down or let down as they battled back to take a one-point lead. Hall regained the lead for good on a Eugene Harvey jumper with just under two minutes left. After two missed Seton Hall free throws with 13 seconds left, JMU pushed the ball up court and had a chance to win. But Pierre Curtis’ 8-footer in the lane missed and JMU was called for a foul on the rebound. Hall hit one of two free throws with 2 seconds left, and a last gasp pass by JMU was knocked away at the buzzer.
JMU fell to 7-2 while Seton Hall improved to 8-2. Seton Hall has been involved in four overtime games and won three, all at the “Rock”.
Once again going small was the key for Seton Hall. Among the principals in the win were point guard Harvey, who scored a game-high 27 points and was virtually unstoppable in late game penetration; Brian Laing with 21 points prior to fouling out; Jamar Nutter with 17 points and several crucial threes; Jeremy Hazel with 10 key points coming down the stretch and the extra session. Finally, there was Paul Gause.
“He’s a difference-maker, he changes games and changed this one,” Gonzalez said of the junior guard who had a huge 21-point, 7-rebound, 8-steal afternoon. The latter mark tied his own school record.
Gonzalez noted it’s not something you can do night in and night out in the Big East but the smaller, quicker lineup has served the Hall well against pre-conference opposition. In the Big East? “We’ll see what happens when we get there,” says Gonzalez. Simply, the Hall will need steady, game long contributions from their bigger players like John Garcia in conference battles.
James Madison proved to be a formidable opponent. “They are 7th pre-season in the Colonial,” Gonzalez said. “I’m not sure that’s a seventh-place team. Coach (Dean Keaner) is in his fourth year and has done a great job rebuilding the program. This is his most talented team and they remind me of a George Mason. Not in a personnel sense but they are of a similar mold.”
The Dukes out-rebounded Seton Hall 45-37. All five starters scored in double figures for the Dukes, paced by guards Abdulai Jalloh (20 points) and Pierre Curtis (26 points). Terrance Carter did appreciable damage in the paint with an 18-point, 12-board outing. They showed a lot of energy, hit the glass hard and attacked pressure well, until the latter minutes.
Proof that the pressure caught up with the Dukes: JMU had 33 turnovers, 20 after the first half. In fact, the turnovers were the lone area where they did not have an edge over Seton Hall (20 TO). But it was enough to decide the contest.
Women Also Win
A day earlier, the Seton Hall women got their holiday off to a good start as well, as they defeated Saint Joseph’s 59-42 at Walsh Gymnasium. St. Joe’s had an eight point lead late the first half. The Hall went on a run the last three minutes and entered halftime down a point.
“We hadn’t played a while and it showed,” said Seton Hall coach Phyllis Mangina. “The second half we had better defensive pressure. At the half we had two offensive rebounds. We talked about that at halftime and made a better effort.”
The Pirates ended with 16 offensive boards. Noteisha Womack, a junior forward, did appreciable damage inside for the Hall, finishing with 12 points, a game-high 13 rebounds (6 offensive) and four steals.
“As an older (experienced) player I’m focused more on defense and boxing out,” Womack said.
Ela Mukosiej, a Seton Hall senior guard, paced all scorers with 22 points. Point guard Ebonie Williams had another sold outing, as the Seton Hall freshman scored 10 points and handed out 3 assists. Timisha Gomez led the Lady Hawks with 13 points from the guard spot. Sarah Acker, a 6’3″ freshman center and St. Joe’s leading scorer (12 ppg), was neutralized by the Hall frontcourt and held to 6.
A post-Christmas trip to San Diego for a tournament is next before Big East play unfolds for the Hall. The Big East affords a tough challenge night in and night out. Seton Hall is coming along and ready for those challenges.
“You don’t want to look past the tournament and too far ahead,” Mangina said. “But we are in a good position for Big East play. The conference is the best and deepest in the country. We have a better front line. Our defense is strong. If we can score consistently we could e a factor each game.”
Seton Hall improved to 7-2, while St. Joe’s fell under .500 to 5-6.
