JP’s 3 Thoughts: Seton Hall bounces back, trounces Saint Louis

Myles Powell followed 37-point masterpiece against Michigan State with 26 points Sunday as Seton Hall earned convincing road win at Saint Louis. (Photo by Wendell Cruz/Finish First Photos)

By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

For anyone who thought there might be a hangover with a quick turnaround from a tough loss to Michigan State on Thursday for Seton Hall, there was none to be found. The Pirates got off to a fast start under the Gateway Arch and aside from a couple blips, rolled to an 83-66 victory over the Saint Louis Billikens to go to 3-1 on the season.

Here are three quick thoughts as an observer from 1,000 miles away in New York:

1. Dominance

In terms of pure size, skill, and experience, this game was no contest. Seton Hall bounded out to an 18-3 lead to start this game, and that was without Myles Powell contributing much at all. The Pirates spread the ball around, and shredded the Billikens' defense while also doing good work on that end themselves (of note, Romaro Gill continued to be a factor with a couple blocked shots to assist the hot start).

Eventually, of course, Powell was Powell, finishing with an efficient 26 points, and Sandro Mamukelashvili, who kicked off the scoring with a spot-up three-pointer, added 17 points, seven rebounds and a trio of assists for a nice overall game. While the team shooting numbers went down in the second half after the Pirates tossed the ball in the hoop at a 48 percent clip in the first 20 minutes, Seton Hall ran away with it in the second half. A 7-0 run to begin the half took much of the remaining wind out of the Billikens' sails, and Saint Louis never seriously threatened from there.

2. Adjustments

The game wasn't without its rough spells, of course, and Saint Louis head coach Travis Ford threw on a 1-3-1 halfcourt trap defense in the first half that caused Seton Hall some problems initially. But Kevin Willard and company eventually adjusted, running Powell on the baseline to exploit the soft spot in the defense for a big three-pointer, and then adding another three on the next possession to finally break the home team out of it.

In the second half, Ford threw on a full-court press, and again, that gave the Pirates a little initial trouble as they got caught playing a tad too fast (and right into Saint Louis' hands) on a couple trips down the floor. But the Pirates adjusted to that as well, using some of their bigger players (notably Tyrese Samuel) to assist the press break, and once that happened, the rout resumed. Credit the bench for the scheme and the team for execution to stem the tide in what was a raucous environment early, but definitely wasn't so by the end of the game.

3. Whistles, Whistles, Whistles

Our first instance of the #RefShow surfaced on Sunday, as the crew, led by Michael Stephens, called a whopping 44 fouls (thought it was more, actually) that led to SIXTY-SEVEN free throws, including 41 for the home team. Luckily for the Pirates, they took care of their business at the charity stripe (21-for-26), while the Billikens, one of the worst free throw-shooting teams in the nation (343rd coming in), decidedly did not (23-for-41).

I am not entirely sure why the game was called so tightly, but again, despite all the whistles and the foul trouble for centers Ike Obiagu and Gill, both of whom fouled out in the second half, the Pirates still prevailed, and won big at that.

After they, by their own admission, said that the leadership should have been better down the stretch against Michigan State on Thursday, the Pirates put their money where their mouths were, and used that leadership inherent in a veteran team to handle their own business. Seton Hall now gets to enjoy a week off before hosting Florida A&M Saturday at the Prudential Center. Tipoff is slated for noon.