Yale remains unbeaten in Ivy as Aletan and Mbeng shine against Dartmouth

By Connor Wilson (@Conman_815)

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Coming into the season, it seemed that James Jones knew what he was going to get out of four of his five starters as Yale began its Ivy League championship defense.

John Poulakidas is a guy that can be relied upon to get a bucket at any time. Bez Mbeng is the defensive-minded floor general. Nick Townsend and Casey Simmons are team first guys who always give 100 percent on each and every play. Then, there is Samson Aletan.

Playing sparingly off the bench a year ago as a freshman behind now-Michigan star Danny Wolf, the 6-foot-10 Aletan seemed to be a bit of a wild card heading into year two, where he was expected to take a leap into the starting five.

“Samson didn’t have as much of an opportunity for us last year,” Jones said. “His growth has been tremendous over the past year.”

With that growth, all Aletan has done is score in double figures in eight of Yale’s first 16 games to start the season, including Monday in a win over Dartmouth where he scored 17 points and had three blocks, getting pretty much whatever he wanted on the low block.

“When he plays like he did tonight, it’s hard to beat us,” Jones said. “He’s just a dominant player inside and it frees up everything and gives the defense something else to worry about. We’ve seen more nights like this over the past six or seven (games) than we had at the beginning of the season.”

“I had a rough game the last game in a close win, and Coach wanted me to be more aggressive the next game,” Aletan said. “Because of that, everyone else got opportunities. Just doing whatever I can for the team to win.”

The Bulldogs moved to a perfect 3-0 in Ivy play in Monday’s 83-67 win over Dartmouth after defeating Brown and Columbia each of the past two Saturdays as well. After some tough losses in non-conference play, it seems as if they’re hitting their stride at the right time.

“In the first half, it was a fight and a struggle for every possession,” Jones said. “We’ve got to do a better job of making in-game adjustments, but I thought the difference in the game was how we opened the second half.”

That start to the second half that Jones mentioned was a 9-0 Yale run that saw Dartmouth go without a field goal for over five minutes. The 41-37 halftime lead for the Bulldogs ballooned to 50-37, and the Big Green was never within seven points again.

Things looked to potentially be going south quickly for Yale, as Mbeng picked up his second personal foul with over 17 minutes to play in the first half. He went to the bench, but returned at around the 13-minute mark and played a majority of the half after that all without committing a third foul, showing how confident Jones is in his point guard.

“I knew I was going to put him back in because I trust him,” Jones said. “I knew what he was capable of doing, and he went back out there and played the whole half except the last minute.”

Mbeng shined in all the ways he usually does, picking up a couple of steals, setting up his teammates for easy buckets with flashy passes, and getting to the rim with his signature eurostep. On a fast break, he hit Aletan with a lob and followed that up hitting Michael Jordan’s famous shrug on the way back down the court.

“Me and Samson have been trying to connect on some lobs this year, so I was really hyped up that we could convert on that one,” Mbeng said. “I thought it was a really cool play, and I love sharing the ball to get my teammates involved.”

Overall, Mbeng finished with 16 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals, stuffing the stat sheet as he is prone to doing night in and night out. His first steal of the night broke the Yale all-time career steals record, something he’s proud of.

“It’s a crazy achievement that means a lot to me,” Mbeng said. “You know how much pride I take on that side of the floor, so it means a lot.”

It was a quiet night for Poulakidas compared to his 28-point, six 3-pointer performance on Saturday at Columbia. He still finished with 12 points on just 4-of-13 shooting. Even when he’s not making shots, his presence was known all around the perimeter, with the Big Green consistently doubling him on the catch.

“John’s human, so he’s gonna have an off night here and there,” Jones said. “They hard hedged him off the screen a little bit. What’s great about us is that we can absorb a night where he goes 4-for-13, because those have been few and far between this year.”

The final two starters, Townsend and Simmons, each finished in double figures as well. Townsend had 12 points in his typical bruiser, back-to-the-basket style, and Simmons had 10 with a pair of monster throw downs inside set up by Mbeng. Having all five starters finish in double figures shows how many different ways the Bulldogs can beat you.

“We can’t rely on John to go out and score every night for us, we need other people to go out and contribute,” Jones said. “We had five guys in double figures and he was one of them.”

Yale will take on Harvard Saturday in New Haven, looking to stay unbeaten in Ivy League play before a crucial tilt with Princeton at Jadwin Gymnasium on January 31.

LIU vs. SFU Photo Gallery

Photos from LIU’s 64-51 win over Saint Francis University on January 18, 2025:

(All photos by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Red Storm defense takes flight yet again, vaults Johnnies into Big East lead

RJ Luis (12) vaulted St. John’s into Big East lead with win at Seton Hall Saturday. While Red Storm offense commands attention, it is Johnnies’ Top 5 defense that has driven 16-3 start. (Photo by St. John’s Athletics)

Wherever Rick Pitino goes, defense travels.

The most prominent hallmark of the hall of fame coach’s career, which now spans close to five decades, has been his vigorous ball pressure and suffocating matchup zones in an historic run that remains the only tenure in the NCAA annals where he led two different programs to national championships.

Nine times in the past, Pitino has presided over a defense that has ranked among the five best in the nation per Ken Pomeroy’s metrics, which go as far back as the 2001-02 season. Three of those have ended with his team at No. 1 on the defensive end, including in 2012 and 2013 at Louisville, where the Cardinals won back-to-back Big East championships in those years and the national title in the latter. That was just part of a six-year stretch in which Louisville boasted a Top 5 defense by the numbers, and seven consecutive in the Top 10.

Now in his second year at St. John’s, Pitino has recaptured yet another part of his magic, turning the Johnnies into an outfit that now claims the fifth-best defense in the nation after their Saturday night rout of Seton Hall. Only Houston, Duke, Tennessee and Kansas have been more efficient on that side of the basketball than the Red Storm, who—as Pitino hinted Saturday—has drawn inspiration from a franchise at a higher level while transforming its own fabric.

“We study the Oklahoma City Thunder religiously right now, because they play the same defense we play,” the coach revealed. “It’s been a long, long time since I’ve seen a team play defense like they do. They play like a college team. They switch everything, they front everything, they give weak-side help, they trap the great players. It’s just a lot of fun watching them.”

“That’s really been our next level, our jump from last year’s team to this year’s team,” RJ Luis added. “I feel like we’ve got a nice group of guys. We can switch one through the five, and I want us to continue playing defense that aggressively.”

St. John’s dominated Seton Hall from the onset Saturday night, overshadowing the return of Kadary Richmond to the Prudential Center in his first game against his former school.

How did the Johnnies do it? By limiting Seton Hall to just 4-for-30 shooting in a first half where the Pirates amassed only 16 points. The sledding did not get much easier for Seton Hall after halftime, as leading scorer Isaiah Coleman missed all but one of his attempts from the floor while point guard Chaunce Jenkins missed six of seven himself on a night where Shaheen Holloway’s team was already shorthanded with Dylan Addae-Wusu and Yacine Toumi unavailable.

“That was a brilliant performance of team defense,” Pitino proclaimed. “We’ve been really, really working on that, and the guys covered each other’s backs. When you get people to shoot 13 percent from the field, 12 percent from three, you’re just playing remarkable defense. It was a terrific win.”

The win also, by virtue of UConn and Marquette having lost earlier in the day Saturday, moved St. John’s into sole possession of first place in the Big East with a 7-1 conference record. While the Red Storm’s long-suffering fan base is relishing the return to the top, those within the walls of the locker room are zeroed in firmly on the next test, which comes Wednesday night against a Xavier team that defeated Marquette on the road.

“It’s nice to be in first place, but the job’s not finished,” Luis declared. “We’re gonna continue to keep winning games, playing together and having fun as a group.”

“We just put all our emphasis and effort into the next game,” Pitino reiterated. “This was a great victory for us, but we’re just gonna concentrate on Xavier and not think about that. I’d rather take first place than last place, but I really don’t think about it. I’m just consumed with the next game. I think we’re playing great defense right now, I think we’re doing a lot of good things on the break. I’m just enjoying each practice, each game. I really don’t think too much of that. I’m proud for the St. John’s fans, I know it means something to them, but to me, it means very little.”

Pitino may downplay the significance now to prime his players for a greater stage in March, but one thing that cannot be diminished is the impact of St. John’s fans as a sixth man of sorts. With attendance at Madison Square Garden at its highest since Chris Mullin paced the sidelines at his alma mater, the energy has been matched away from home just as well. Red Storm fans traveled across the Hudson River Saturday stronger than at any point in the past several years, and according to the coach, had the largest contingent overseas at the Baha Mar Hoops Championship in November. It all adds up to a vow Pitino made upon his hire, one where he said he would eventually resurrect the dormant apathy within the fan base and build a product worth watching.

“St. John’s fans are coming back,” he gushed. “We’re trying to make them join our team one by one. We don’t care where they come from. One by one, we’re trying to cultivate our fan base because St. John’s lost a big fan base the last 20 years, a lot of subway alumni. We’re trying to get it back, and we’re doing it one by one.”

FDU improves to 4-0 in NEC, upends CCSU

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

TEANECK, N.J. — Despite a 14-3 record, Stephanie Gaitley honestly feels her FDU team is not at its best. 

That is not a good sign for the rest of the Northeast Conference.

The Knights are now 4-0 in Northeast Conference play after defeating Central Connecticut Saturday, 75-58, at Bogota Savings Bank Center. The Blue Devils saw their three-game winning streak end, and are now 4-14 (3-2 NEC).

Points of emphasis:

Sharing the lead: FDU’s win, as noted, raised its conference record to 4-0. The Knights share a similar record with Stonehill but Gaitley, nor the rest of her staff or team, is ready to celebrate. There are a lot more games on the docket before things get sorted out in March.

“The league is balanced, so we are taking it one day at

a time,” Gaitley said.

The Knights do have a meeting with Stonehill, whom they face on the road this Thursday. For now, the focus is solely on the next opponent.

“We have to come back, ”Gaitley added, “and get ready to face a really athletic Chicago State team on Monday.”

Many options: Teneisia Brown, FDU’s inside threat, struggled on Saturday. The graduate center scored six points in a 28-minute outing.

“Teneisha was not at her best,” Gaitley admitted. “She

shot a few fallaways rather than go strong to the basket. We still ran some very good offense.”

FDU placed four in double figures. Freshman guard Ava Renninger led the way with 17 points. Lilly Parke scored 14, while Abaigeal Babore and Abby Conklin added 11 each. Kailee McDonald, another freshman, gave a good effort, narrowly missing double figures with nine points, all in the second half. The 5-foot-9 guard also led FDU with six rebounds.

Utilizing a four-out offense, the Knights showed very good ball movement on the perimeter, resulting in a number of uncontested looks and 10 three-pointers.

Number one option: Central Connecticut's Belle Lanpher is the lone Blue Devil averaging double figures,

at 22.3 points per game. The graduate guard is acting coach Kristin Caruso’s primary option. In the first

half, Lanpher led the way with 12 points. Teammate Kayla Henry was effective inside with eight points and six rebounds.

Despite taking a 39-25 into halftime, Gaitley felt a few

things had to be addressed, one being CCSU’s supporting cast.

“We wanted different kids to step up if they were going to beat us,” Gaitley said. “We didn’t want Belle to come in and go off, which she did.”

Lanpher scored 19 points in the final 20 minutes to finish with a game-high 31. Henry, a sophomore forward, was limited to four second-half points, finishing with 12. No other Blue Devil player reached double-figures. Lanpher, as noted, put up 19 of CCSU’s 33 second-half points as she proved to be not just a primary, but virtually the only

option, for the visitors.

Improvement: The 17-point victory was not without a few points Gaitley wants her group to get better at.

“I felt we didn’t play our best game,” she said. “I felt we were lacking a bit on controlling the details. We were outrebounded (37-33), which I am not happy about. We also gave up 34 points in the paint and 21 second-chance points. I don't think we did a good job (in those areas).”

The FDU deficit was 34-18 on those points in the paint. The Knights were on the short end of a 21-20 count of

second-chance points. A number of those paint points

were courtesy of Lanpher, who hit just one three-pointer

and six free throws. Simply, a number of her points were on penetration in the lane, contributing to the Blue Devil disparity.

“I just thought we were lacking a bit defensively,” Gaitley said.

Notes: In a 61-possession game, FDU held a 123-95 edge in offensive efficiency. It was the second-best offensive efficiency showing for the Knights, who posted a 126 a week ago in a 77-63 victory at Mercyhurst.

Central Connecticut shot 41 percent from the floor and made just two of its 13 three-point attempts. FDU checked in at 44 percent, with an impressive 10-of-25 from downtown. Henry had a game-high nine rebounds, Renninger led the way with four assists.

FDU, who committed just nine turnovers, had an excellent 12 percent turnover rate. Central Connecticut was also solid with its ball handling, registering 14 giveaways but recording an 18 percent rate. The miscues proved crucial, as the Knights had an 18-11 advantage in points off turnovers.

NEC officiating observer Steve Rubinaccio was in

attendance observing the crew.

3 Thoughts: Seton Hall waxed in Richmond’s return to Rock

By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

NEWARK, N.J. — It was the most anticipated game of the season at Prudential Center for Seton Hall fans.

The Pirates welcoming St. John’s to the Rock on a Saturday night with Kadary Richmond returning to the arena after choosing to transfer to not just a Big East rival, but a local Big East rival at that, jilting the fanbase that watched him grow from a talented but inconsistent transfer to a legitimate star at the point.

The crowd was charged up and ready to go. The student section was well-stocked, and brought flyers with the snake emoji to taunt the former Pirate star. They booed Richmond during warmups, during lineup introductions, and every single time he touched the ball.

And then Seton Hall laid an egg of epic proportions. 

The Pirates made just one of their first 21 field goal attempts, and got roasted on the backboards right out of the gate, as the Red Storm built a 26-7 lead and never looked back from there, walloping Seton Hall, 79-51. It is the Pirates’ largest margin of defeat ever in a home Big East game at the Rock, and their most lopsided home conference defeat overall since 2006.

Here are the Thoughts:

1. Stormy Weather

Seton Hall was down a pair of players for this game, as forward Yacine Toumi missed the contest due to illness, and former Red Storm guard Dylan Addae-Wusu missed his second straight game with a foot injury. It was the latter of the two absences that was really key, as not only is Addae-Wusu one of the leaders on the team, but he would have also drawn an important defensive assignment, most likely on his former teammate Richmond.

But that doesn't excuse the fact that St. John’s was by far the more energetic team out of the gate. The Red Storm’s effort on the glass in particular, grabbing 17 of 23 available rebounds to begin the game, showed it.  There weren't many open looks to be had for The Hall, either, as the Johnnies handled whatever the Pirates threw at them on the defensive end. 

“I thought we got punked tonight,” head coach Shaheen Holloway said. “One hundred percent punked. We got embarrassed. It’s embarrassing, I feel awful for the program, I feel awful for everything that took place tonight.”

It should be noted this wasn't exactly unfamiliar territory for the visitors. St. John's came into the game second in the Big East in scoring defense and is also the top rebounding offense in the conference, so both of the above things are strengths for Rick Pitino’s team.

But while the Pirates had started cold before, they hadn’t started *this* cold. The play that encapsulated the struggles offensively? At one point, Gus Yalden had the good fortune to have a loose ball come right to him near the basket, and he missed a point-blank open layup. He got the rebound and was fouled on the putback attempt, but then missed one of the two free throws he was awarded. 

In the end, they were down 39-16 at the half, Seton Hall’s fewest points in a half since January of 2013, and the game felt elementary from there. The energy from the crowd dissipated, as even the boos for Richmond were basically eliminated after halftime. There was a 6-0 spurt that featured a couple of turnovers from Richmond that got the crowd active for a moment, but it was too little and too late to alter the course of the evening. 

2. Kooksing the Books

As for Richmond? Well, trying to get in his head is kind of a moot point. He has long been a player who keeps his pulse steady, and he displayed the vision and passing skills that we were used to seeing on the other side of the Hudson for so many years. The Brooklyn native finished with 12 points, five rebounds, six assists, and two steals on 5-for-7 shooting, and seems content on this Red Storm team, where he isn’t nearly the alpha dog that he had to be for Seton Hall to be successful.

In a different world, a world perhaps without NIL, he’d likely still be a Pirate, at least according to Pitino.

“Believe me, if the money was the same, he would be playing for Shaheen,” the hall of famer said after the game. “If the money was close, he would be playing for Shaheen. He’s a free agent, just like all free agents. He loves Seton Hall, he loves Shaheen, playing for Shaheen, loved his teammates here.”

“But it’s not a level playing field,” he added. “I'm hoping revenue comes in for Seton Hall and everybody basically gets the same, and then you’ll see Seton Hall just as good as any team in the league. Right now, they don’t have the revenue that most of the other teams have.”

There is probably a segment of Pirate fans that will take those comments and interpret them as Pitino twisting the knife in their backs, but everything that’s been reported about that subject would indicate that there is some truth to those words. I know for a fact it’s certainly something that the school is trying to address, but as Holloway said in his postgame press conference when asked about it, he’s trying his best in the moment.

“I’m just playing the hand I was dealt,” he said. “I can’t get into that. This is the hand I was dealt, I’m playing it, I’m not going to complain or argue. I’m going to keep coaching and fighting and trying to get better. What we have is what we have. That’s what I gotta deal with, I deal with it and try to make the best of it.”

3. Uphill Battles

Speaking of making the best of it, where can Seton Hall go from here? The easy answer is nowhere but up, as the Pirates are now 1-6 in the Big East and have lost eight of their last nine. On paper, their losses in conference play haven’t been blowouts, by and large, with the exceptions being at Xavier and this game. 

But they have already dropped games to middle-of-the-pack teams like Providence, Butler, and Georgetown, and have yet to play the other programs at the top of the table: Marquette, UConn, and Creighton. The Top 10 Golden Eagles come to the Rock next on Tuesday, and will be coming off a loss to Xavier, hence highly motivated to get back in the win column.

Even fully healthy and defensively connected, that’ a very tall task, let alone for a team that hasn’t held an opponent under 70 points since before Christmas, and who lost Chaunce Jenkins to a leg injury late in the first half tonight.

To me, it all starts on the defensive end. Getting Addae-Wusu back will really help in that regard, but it's a full team effort that is needed, and that includes being able to rebound the ball after forcing a miss. A full stop, if you will. 

If I were to guess, Holloway would probably agree. But for now, the Pirates have to lick their wounds from a loss that should sting their pride, especially given the fact that down the stretch, as the Red Storm was getting dunks and pushing the margin out to 30 points, its fans whooped it up and delighted in finally winning a game at their own personal house of horrors.

“I told them I wanted them to have this feeling that we all have,” Holloway said. “They gotta feel it tonight, they gotta feel it tomorrow, they gotta feel it Monday. I don’t want them to have this feeling again. We got embarrassed at home, we got outplayed, out-everything, and it’s a terrible feeling. But we gotta bounce back, we got the No. 7 team in the country coming in on Tuesday. We can’t have another repeat play like this.”

Indeed. Full stop.

Chattanooga works its way back from 16 down in win at Furman

Chattanooga guard Honor Huff was one of three Mocs to score 16 points as the Mocs bounced back from down 16 to win at Furman Saturday.  (Photo:  Chattanooga Athletics)

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GREENVILLE, S.C. – For about 11 minutes of Saturday’s game, Furman seemed to have everything at its command. The Paladins led, 22-6, over Chattanooga, holding the Mocs to a 2-for-17 start from the floor. The game would not, however, be the landslide for which Furman hoped or its fans expected.

Instead, pebble by pebble, the wall crumbled.

The visiting Mocs overcame that early 16-point hole, a seven-point halftime deficit, and nearly everything else thrown at them. Chattanooga got 48 points from its top three scorers – exactly 16 apiece – and scored 48 points in the second half to defeat Furman, 75-71, before an announced crowd of 4,327 at Greenville’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

The decision left normally stoic Bob Richey “furious” – his word – though his face revealed little of that emotion.

“This game tonight could have gone either way,” Richey said after the game. “This was a 50-50 game with two great teams battling it out. We led for 35 minutes of the game. They led for 4:20. Those are the ones that kill you. Those are the ones that hurt you. For 35 minutes, we did a lot of good stuff. For four minutes and 20 seconds, we gave them the lead and let them come on our home floor and beat us. We didn’t finish the game well.”

Furman (15-4, 3-3 SoCon) could hardly have started the game better. The Paladins raced out to an 11-0 lead, turning away the first seven Chattanooga field goal attempts. Honor Huff connected on a jumper after over five minutes had elapsed to finally put the Mocs on the board. Once the Paladin lead stretched to the aforementioned 16, Chattanooga finally found a bit of an answer.

Bash Wieland knocked out the first layer of stone with four quick points. A mixture of dunks, free throws, layups, and five quick points from Frank Champion loosened a bit more of the deficit, quickly slicing the lead to five and knocking the home side onto its heels a bit. Furman responded, scoring eight of the final 14 points of the period, using a PJay Smith triple to create some much-needed separation before the Mocs finally cut it to seven at the break.

"They are always hard-fought in Southern Conference games and unfortunately for us, we came out of the gate poorly and like we were walking in mud again,” Chattanooga coach Dan Earl said in comments made available by the university. “I don't know why that is, because previously we came out unbelievably well, so we have to find that consistency.”

Chattanooga (12-7, 4-2) wielded its chisel in the second half, chipping away – if slowly – at the deficit. Before it could, though, it had to emerge from under another pile of rocks.

After a Trey Bonham free throw reduced the Furman lead to six, Furman tore off another 7-0 burst that pushed the home side’s lead back to 13. Chattanooga then found success where it had been elusive in the first half – in the paint.

Champion converted a layup. Bonham then converted one. Garrison Keeslar booked another. Bonham put home two more. Wieland made one. In three-and-a-half minutes, the lead that had ballooned back to a baker’s dozen was suddenly a precarious two points. The purple-clad partisans seemed stunned.

Furman then worked the lead back to eight, padding the advantage on four straight free throws. Finally, after all the chipping away and all the layers between the two teams being rebuilt in frustrating bursts, the visitors broke through. Again, the Mocs mostly got the job done in the paint.

Champion notched two more layups and Huff hit a three, but a redshirt freshman would deal the final blow.

Collin Mulholland, who came into the game to spell Latif Diouf after Diouf fouled out, grabbed a dish from Huff and went up strong to the basket. The 6-foot-10 forward finished through contact and earned a free throw, which he made to put Chattanooga ahead, 60-58, with 4:35 remaining. Furman’s Eddrin Bronson leveled the contest with a bucket, but Furman would never again lead.

The Paladins thought – for a moment, anyway – that they would have a chance to even the game with four seconds remaining, as Smith drew a foul beyond the three-point arc. Furman protested that Smith was fouled in the act of shooting; however, after a somewhat prolonged conversation, the officials ruled that Smith was fouled on the floor. Smith hit the first of two free throws and tried to intentionally miss the second, but the try was ruled not to have hit the rim. The Mocs then put away the game at the line.

“I can’t wait to see the clip of PJay,” Richey said. “He was in the act of shooting when the whistle went off. I don’t understand how that – I don’t get that. It’s just one of those situations where – that stuff’s out of my control. (The officials) didn’t miss 11 free throws for us. They didn’t give them 12 offensive rebounds that turned into 17 points. I don’t want to be the one sitting up here faulting them for it. I am curious to see that call, because obviously the game was on the line when that shot goes up and he’s clearly shooting when the whistle goes. I think that’s an unfortunate situation right there.”

To Richey’s point, Chattanooga completely flipped the script in the paint in the second half. The Mocs outscored the Paladins, 26-14 below the stripe in the second half, but two other numbers troubled the Paladins’ coach. Chattanooga held a 17-3 advantage on second chance points and a 15-4 advantage on the break, which loomed large in such a tightly contested game. Additionally, both sides tried 28 free throws. Chattanooga missed just three, while Furman missed 11.

Champion, Huff, and Bowman all notched 16 for the Mocs. The trio sank 15-of-32 tries from the deck and added a 15-of-17 performance from the line that helped seal the final margin. Chattanooga finished the game shooting 44.2 percent (23-of-52) for the contest, lifted by 51.7 percent (15-of-29) shooting in the second stanza. The Mocs outrebounded the Paladins by 11 and conquered most of the statistical categories. Champion finished one board away from a double-double.

Smith led Furman and all scorers, booking 18 on 4-of-15 shooting. Nick Anderson added 15, hitting 5-of-7 from the field. Furman shot 43.1 percent (22-for-51) overall but slightly bettered that percentage by hitting 10 threes on 23 tries (43.5 percent). The Paladins converted 14 Chattanooga turnovers into 20 points.

Richey addressed after the game the search for answers he and his team now face.

“There are going to be ebbs and flows to seasons,” Richey said. “We’re not going to lose our minds. We’re 15-4. We’re not where we want to be in league play. We’ve got to go do the things we were doing successfully when we were winning at the level we were winning at. We’ve got to fight our way out of this. You find out a lot about yourself when you lose a game. We’re going to find out a lot about ourselves.

“I’m disappointed. I’m mad. I’m furious, actually. That doesn’t mean I’m discouraged and that this team can’t respond. I know we’re better than this. If you don’t like who you are, change what you do. That’s just how life works. Don’t change what you say or who you blame, just change what you do. We’ve got to be better, and I trust that we will be.”

The sides return to SoCon play later this week. Furman travels to Lexington, Va., to take on VMI Wednesday evening. Tip time from Cameron Hall is set for 6:00 (Eastern), with ESPN+ offering streaming coverage. Chattanooga welcomes SoCon co-leader Samford to McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga for a 7:00 jump Thursday evening. The game will be televised on ESPN2 or ESPNU.

CHATTANOOGA 75, FURMAN 71

CHATTANOOGA (12-7, 4-2 SOCON)

Champion 6-9 3-3 16, Keeslar 1-5 0-0 2, Bonham 5-15 5-6 16, Huff 4-8 7-8 16, Wieland 2-7 3-4 7, Cusano 0-1 0-0 0, Kostel 0-0 4-4 4, Muholland 3-3 1-1 8, Melson 0-0 0-0 0, Richards 1-2 0-0 2, Robison 1-1 0-0 2, Diouf 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 23-52 25-28 75.

FURMAN (15-4, 3-3)

Hien 3-5 1-3 8, Bowser 3-8 3-5 9, Smith 4-15 6-7 18, Bronson 3-7 2-2 9, Anderson 5-7 2-5 15, Johnston 0-1 0-0 0, VanderWal 1-1 1-2 3, Molnar 2-5 2-3 7, House 1-2 0-1 2. Totals 22-51 17-28 71.

Halftime:  Furman 34-27. 3-Point goals:  Furman 10-23 (Hien 1-2, Smith 4-11, Bronson 1-3, Anderson 3-3, Johnston 0-1, Molnar 1-2, House 0-1), Chattanooga 4-13 (Champion 1-1, Keeslar 0-2, Bonham 1-3, Huff 1-3, Wieland 0-3, Mulholland 1-1). Fouled out:  Diouf (UTC).  Rebounds:  Chattanooga 38 (Champion 9), Furman 27 (Bowser 7). Total fouls:  Chattanooga 20, Furman 20. Technicals:  NA

Points off turnovers:  Furman 20, Chattanooga 14.  Points in the paint:  Chattanooga 34, Furman 22. Second-chance points:  Chattanooga 17, Furman 3.  Fast-break points:  Chattanooga 15, Furman 4.  Bench points:  Chattanooga 18, Furman 12.

 

Sha Sounds Off: St. John’s

By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

On Chaunce Jenkins’ status:

“Yeah, I don’t know too much. I don’t know if it’s his hamstring or his ankle. I’ll find out once I go back in the locker room and talk to Tony (Testa). I haven’t talked to him yet.”

On Dylan Addae-Wusu’s status:

“I don’t know. I’m not sure anybody could have helped us today, to tell you the truth. Obviously Dylan’s missed because he’s one of our captains and one of our leaders, and obviously somebody that could play defense. His timetable, I don’t know. I don’t want to say it’s day by day, it’s when the doctor and Tony tell me he could play.”

On the game plan against St. John’s:

“I don’t even know what that question is. What was the game plan? To try to win the game, try to go in, try to keep them out of transition, box out, make sure (RJ) Luis doesn’t get a lot of offensive rebounds, try to keep the game close and not try to get in a track meet with them.”

On Kadary Richmond’s reception from the crowd:

“I don’t know, Adam. He was with me for two years and he was good for me. I thought he grew playing for me and under me, I thought he had an unbelievable year last year. As for us, I thought he carried us—him, Al and Dre. It’s part of the business that we’re in, right? Guys will do things, but I can’t tell the crowd how to react to things, so I’m not. That’s what they did.”

On Seton Hall’s NIL situation:

“I’m just playing the hand I was dealt. I can’t get into that. I’m just playing the hand I was dealt, Jerry. This is kind of the hand I was dealt. I’m not playing it, I’m not gonna complain, I’m not gonna argue. I’m still gonna coach and keep coaching, keep trying to fight and get better, but I’m playing the hand I was dealt. What we have is what we have. That’s what I gotta deal with, I’ll deal with it and make the best of it.”

On what Seton Hall could do to mitigate its situation:

“We gotta play with some heart, we gotta play with some fight. I thought we got punked tonight, 100 percent punked. I thought we got punked in the first half of Oklahoma State, and these two games, I kind of compare to each other. I thought Oklahoma State, we got punked in the first half and the second half, we came out with some fight. We got punked and it was like men amongst boys. We got punked, we got embarrassed. It’s embarrassing, I feel awful for the program, I feel awful for everything that took place tonight. But this is big boy basketball and we got another big game on Tuesday, so I gotta get my head ready for that.”

On Rick Pitino saying Richmond would still be at Seton Hall if the money was the same:

“I can’t. I don’t want to disrespect your question, but I can’t. Who knows, right? I don’t want to answer. Certain people could talk about money and talk about things, and certain people can’t, right? I think that Coach—he’s a hall of fame coach, he’s been around, he did some things—he could make those types of statements. I make statements like that, everybody will say, ‘who’s he to make those statements’ or stuff like that, so I just try to stay away from that type of stuff. He made those statements, he might know something I don’t know. Maybe Kadary told him that, I don’t know.”

What Seton Hall needs to do better:

“Something that I’ve been trying to figure out for a minute now. I don’t know, I’ve tried everything, and for me, it sucks because I don’t like different lineups. That ain’t my thing. I like to stick with a group and kind of let them go through it, but this year, we’re going through a bunch of different lineups and it sucks to coach that way, I’ll be honest with you. So what I gotta do is try to keep us in games and get us to start games off better.”

On Zion Harmon:

“I think you already know the answer, but you want me to say it, right? You could have asked me a lot of different ways and different times, but you want to ask now? That’s fine, Jerry. He’s no longer with the program, but you knew that, right? I’m good with you asking that, but you knew that though, right? He’s no longer with the program, so what we got is what we got right now. Yeah, he’s no longer with the program, Jerry. That’s the answer to it, he’s no longer with us right now.”

On Tuesday’s game against Marquette:

“I told them I wanted them to have this feeling that we all have. They gotta feel it tonight, they gotta feel it tomorrow, they gotta feel it Monday. I don’t want them to have this feeling again. We got embarrassed at home, we got outplayed, out-everything, and it’s a terrible feeling. But we gotta bounce back, we got the No. 7 team in the country coming in on Tuesday. We can’t have another repeat play like this. Fellas, I’ll be honest with you: I don’t know what to say, man. I’m super embarrassed right now and I have a lot on my mind, but I’ll stay and answer as many questions as you want. So if I answer questions not to the fullest, it ain’t because I’m disrespecting you guys. I’m just super out of it right now.”

On Pitino’s support:

“I haven’t talked to him. We all have jobs to do. Coach is Coach. Like I said, he’s a hall of famer. He said some things to me before the game and after the game that were encouraging, but that’s coach talk. But we got outplayed by them. We gotta play better. We can’t have this type of…this is embarrassing.”

On a lack of finishing at the rim:

“I’m trying to posit that question. When I see a lot of missed layups and missed dunks? I don’t know. We work at it. I don’t know, lack of focus, concentration? I don’t know how to answer that question.”

On St. John’s defending Isaiah Coleman:

“Yeah, I told him, ‘right now, you’re at the top of everybody’s scouting report.’ Everybody’s gonna come in and face guard him. St. John’s was super aggressive with him, and I told him, ‘you made a mistake by showing a weakness by complaining to the refs.’ Once they saw that, they continued to keep doing it, and he wasn’t getting the calls. So he’s just gotta play through it, don’t complain. Just put your head down, keep working hard, try to get other points, steals and rebounds. Try to get some easy ones. I thought he was pressing trying to carry us, and it just didn’t happen for him tonight.”