Seton Hall continued in the ESPN Events Invitational after Tyrese Samuel’s game-winner gave them a win over Memphis. They were faced with the Oklahoma Sooners on Friday.
The Pirates jumped out to a 4-0 advantage early with buckets from Samuel and KC Ndefo. Oklahoma stole the lead with 13:57 left in the half after draining a triple for a 10-8 advantage and forced Coach Holloway to call a timeout. Three lead changes occurred after this, and a jumper from junior Kadary Richmond gave The Hall a 3-point lead with 5:02 remaining.
An 8-0 run ensued for the Sooners over the next two minutes, though a 6-2 retaliation from the Pirates brought them within one, 34-33, headed into the break. Eight Pirates got on the board in the first half, led by 7 points from Jamir Harris and 6 points from both Ndefo and Samuel.
Al-Amir Dawes retook the lead for The Hall with a three-pointer followed by an easy layup from Kadary Richmond. Dawes tacked on two additional triples within a minute, as Seton Hall led 47-42 with 15:37 left in the game.
Oklahoma’s Tanner Groves hit a shot from behind-the-arc to give the Sooners the advantage again, 52-51. A 25-11 burst from the Sooners ensued to close the game, including a 9-0 run with 3 minutes to go, as the Pirates fell 77-64 on Friday.
The Hall was led by Dawes’ 12 points on the strength of 4-of-8 from the field to go with 3 assists. KC Ndefo and Dre Davis added 10 points in the loss. Oklahoma’s offense proved to be too much for the Pirates, as Grant Sherfield dropped 25 points, followed by 12 points from Sam Godwin and 10 points from Jalen Hill and Jacob Groves.
Despite the loss, Seton Hall held the advantage on the glass, 32-26, and shot 72% from the free throw line. They drop to 4-2 on the season, and will return to the hardwood on Sunday, Nov. 27 as they take on Siena at 5:00 pm to close the 2022 ESPN Events Invitational.
Thomas Donnelly can be reached at thomas.donnelly@student.shu.edu. Find him on Twitter @_tommyd023.
