Pirates pummel Georgia to set up clash with Indiana State for NIT title

Al-Amir Dawes maintained his postseason surge, scoring 20 points to lead Seton Hall into NIT championship game. (Photo by Seton Hall Athletics)

By Pete Janny (@pete_janny)

Tuesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse looked a little too big for Seton Hall’s opponent, the Georgia Bulldogs.

The opposite could be said for the Pirates, who blazed an early path to victory with an 18-3 start. The game was effectively over before it really got started, and Seton Hall never trailed in a wire-to-wire, 84-67 win.

There was zero urgency from Georgia to get up on Seton Hall’s shooters or get physical enough to make this a competitive game. The duo of Jaden Bediako and Dre Davis had a clear advantage inside that they utilized to their advantage, growing more potent as the game wore on. 

By the early stages of the second half, the Bulldogs’ final reckoning was in order, and Seton Hall had a chance for extra fine-tuning before it faces off with a hungry Indiana State squad in the NIT championship game Thursday night. 

“I thought the first game (against Saint Joseph’s) was going to be the hard game, and it was,” head coach Shaheen Holloway said. “From there, we’ve played Seton Hall basketball.”

Not a whole lot feels forced or rushed right now on both ends of the floor, with Tuesday’s performance serving as the latest reminder of what the NCAA Tournament selection committee clearly undervalued. Seton Hall shot 8-of-20 from three-point range, led by the 4-for-7 showing of Al-Amir Dawes and the 3-for-5 output from Jaquan Sanders. The Pirates notched 18 assists on 32 field goals.

Seton Hall has the advantage of incredible scoring depth on its side, combined with the burning passion to want to be where they are at this stage despite the unfortunate fate of Selection Sunday. Tuesday night was the quintessential occasion for showing off that scoring punch, with five players in double figures.

Dawes led the Pirates with 20 points to increase his scoring average to 20.2 points per contest during this NIT run. Davis chipped in 19 points in his homecoming to go along with nine rebounds and four assists. Kadary Richmond left his imprints all over the rout beyond just scoring 15 points, also registering nine rebounds and six assists. Bediako and Sanders rounded out the scoring with 14 and 11 points, respectively. 

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Holloway said. “Indiana State is a really good team that shoots the ball well. I’m happy for our guys, but the job's not done.”

Just as Holloway said after the game, the job is not finished yet for the 2023-2024 Pirates. He wants to send out the seniors with the proverbial bang on Thursday night. 

“Any time you get to play for a championship, it’s super important,” he reiterated. “It’s huge. For me, I don’t do the individual stuff. This is not about me, it’s about our team, and I want the five seniors to go out with a bang.”