Death, taxes and Seton Hall men’s basketball playing their most inspired basketball when down big in the second half. Marquette found this out the hard way last week, as did Creighton—and now Georgetown.
For the third straight game, the Pirates (14-2, 4-1 BIG EAST) trailed by double-digits in the second-half before emerging victorious, as they defeated the Georgetown Hoyas (9-7,1-4 BIG EAST), 76-67, at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Saturday night.
Junior guard Adam “Budd” Clark was the hero for The Hall in this one, scoring a game- and season-high 22 points, while shooting 6-for-12 (50%) and 10-for-12 (83%) from the line—and finishing the game in a nameless No. 26 jersey for whatever reason, maybe a bloody nose?
It was a sloppy start to the game for the Pirates, who, through the first 15 minutes, committed several turnovers and settled for far too many jumpshots—not one of this team’s strong suits, as Georgetown’s early zone defense sought to expose. They found themselves down 24-18 with about four and a half minutes left in the first half.
But SHU, led by Clark, then went on a 11-5 run to tie the game 29-all at the break, with the junior guard scoring five of his nine first-half points during that run. The first half was highlighted by a one-legged elbow fadeaway from Clark after he stopped on a dime, got separation from his defender and rose up to tie the game at 27 with just 57 seconds left.
Clark was even better in the second half, though, scoring 13 of his 22 total points then while shooting 4-for-6 (67%) from the field and 5-for-6 (83%) from the line. He spearheaded yet another pivotal Pirates scoring run, one which was 13-0, with Clark contributing six points and an assist, and gave SHU their largest lead of the game (67-57) with just under four minutes to go.
But the real difference maker for SHU in this one were the Pirates off the bench, especially fellow junior guard Tajuan Simpkins. After being nonexistent through the first 20 minutes of play, the Elon transfer then scored 15 of his 17 total points in the second half for his 10th game in double-figures this season.
Unlike Clark, Simpkins didn’t spearhead a pivotal scoring run for the team—instead, he went on a pivotal scoring run all his own. At the 14:15 mark, Georgetown’s Malik Mack hit a top-of-the-key three-pointer with freshman Najai Hines switched on him to give the Hoyas their largest lead of the game at 47-36. But Simpkins then responded with a 8-0 run, during which he scored a top-of-the-key three pointer, a tip-in, then yet another three-pointer, this one right in front of the Pirates bench, to bring the game back within three points, The Hall trailing 47-44 with just under 12 minutes left.
Minutes later, it was a Simpkins assist to senior forward Josh Rivera after a steal in the backcourt that gave SHU their first lead since the game’s opening seconds, as they led 52-51 with just under nine minutes to go. Rivera’s basket was two of 11 points off turnovers that SHU scored in the second half, as their full-court pressure defense did it for them once again.
Amidst The Hall’s 13-0 run even later on, Simpkins scored a left-handed layup plus the foul after a nice change of pace between-the-legs move (and Gortat-screen by senior forward Stephon Payne, if you know, you know), to give the Pirates another 59-57 lead—one they wouldn’t lose and would only expand on for the remaining five and a half minutes of play, as they held on for the 76-67 victory on the road.
In addition to Simpkins, Rivera gave the Pirates positive minutes off the bench in this one. With seven points and one steal, the Fordham transfer has become the X-factor for The Hall down the stretch, using his relentless energy and active hands in the team’s full-court press to make life difficult for their opponents' ballhandlers in the backcourt.
Also productive off the bench in the contest was sophomore guard Trey Parker, who was the only other Pirate to score in double-figures besides Clark and Simpkins with 12 points, nine of which came in the second-half alone. For the second straight game, SHU head coach Shaheen Holloway went with a closing lineup of Clark, Parker, Simpkins, Rivera as well as Payne, who has shown flashes of greatness this season, but has been inconsistent overall, scoring just two points in this one and the Pirates’ previous game.
In spite of the win, it was a poor game for the Pirates’ starting lineup. Besides Clark, SHU’s other four starters, including Payne, combined for just 12 points in the contest. Had Simpkins and the bench not scored 30 of the team’s 47 points in the second half, The Hall could have left the nation’s capital with their third loss of the season.
But instead, the Pirates improved to 14-2, having already doubled last year’s win total, and to 4-1 in conference play. The last time the Pirates earned 14 wins through 16 games of play was in 2017-18, when the team finished 22-12 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This year's team is on track to do that and even better if things continue to go well, knock on wood.
On the fringe of the AP Top-25 for the past few weeks now, there’s a real chance that the Pirates earn a spot on Monday’s poll, given how other teams in the bottom tier of the rankings fared this week. No. 24 SMU and No. 25 UCF both lost, while Villanova, who received more votes in the last poll to become effectively the 26th best team in the nation, fell to Creighton on Wednesday, then nearly lost to a struggling Golden Eagles team on Saturday.
Regardless of where they land on Monday’s poll, though, what’s most important is earning a win on Wednesday, when they host No. 4 UConn (16-1, 6-0 BIG EAST), who are riding a 12 game win-streak. A win over former Pirate Dan Hurley and the Huskies would earn The Hall a spot in the AP Top-25 and greatly bolster their tournament resume, no doubt—but earning their fifth straight win over UConn at the Prudential Center would mean even more than anything else.
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
