JP's 3 Thoughts: Seton Hall cruises past New Haven in exhibition

By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ -- It was certainly an odd time for a ballgame (3 p.m. on a Friday), but a good crowd came out to Walsh Gym in South Orange to watch Seton Hall top Division II New Haven in an exhibition game by a final score of 73-62.

Here are the trio of thoughts:

1.    Why An Exhibition In-Season?

We wondered the same thing when we saw this game on the schedule, but though the reason is complicated, the simple version is that a) the Pirates wanted to play a game between their opener and next week’s contest at Nebraska so there wouldn’t be a huge gap without any game action, and b) because the NCAA only allows a certain number of games outside of scheduled, early-season tournaments, the only way they could have a game is if it was an exhibition game.

So, basically, the game amounted to a tune-up for the big Gavitt Games contest at Nebraska, and though New Haven hung with them for about 10 minutes, Seton Hall eventually asserted themselves and widened the gap to 15 points at halftime.

2.    Close Early, But Then…

The game was not as close as the final score was. It was 21-19 Seton Hall around the halfway mark of the first half before the Chargers’ leading scorer, Elijah Bailey (14 points in the half), was called for a flagrant foul on replay on Michael Nzei. The Pirates went on an 8-0 spurt immediately thereafter, outscored New Haven 19-6 the rest of the half, and were never threatened from there.

In the second half, the teams essentially traded baskets. Taurean Thompson and Sandro Mamukelashvili had their moments inside in the second stanza, showing off their skills in the frontcourt with some smooth finishes on offense. They also gave New Haven fits inside with their overall length, combining for eight blocks (five by Mamukelashvili) and helping the Pirates hold the Chargers to 38 percent shooting for the game.

Combine that with a steady performance from freshman point guard Anthony Nelson (eight points, 3-for-6 shooting, five assists), and the Pirates essentially got what they wanted out of this game- get set for the Cornhuskers, and don’t get hurt.

3.    Cale’s Court

Because of the obvious talent and size gap between the two teams, there isn’t a whole lot that you can take away from this game in particular, but Myles Cale stood out. The second year wing played loose and confident, shooting the ball extremely well as a result en route to a game-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 4-for-6 from three-point range. He even added eight rebounds.

The other Myles on the team (Powell, who finished with nine points) is going to be the focus of everyone’s scouting report, and if Cale can keep playing the way that he did on Friday, it will really help Seton Hall’s cause, giving the Pirates another option in the backcourt.