After storming back from a double-digit second-half deficit against Saint Louis, Seton Hall found itself with a chance to win the game in the waning seconds. Sandro Mamukelashvili had an open look from beyond the arc for the win, but the shot was long and Seton Hall fell by a final score of 66-64. Throughout the evening, Seton Hall was handed multiple opportunities by a sloppy Saint Louis team that committed 27 fouls and turned the ball over 24 times, but the Pirates were unable to make the most of their chances. At the free throw line, Seton Hall shot 22-31 and only had 16 points off turnovers. For the second consecutive game, Seton Hall also struggled to string together offense consistently and it plagued the Pirates throughout the first half and the early parts of the second half. On the game, Seton Hall shot 19-57 (33.3 percent) from the field and 4-17 (23.5 percent) from three as Saint Louis executed its defensive game plan to near perfection. “One of our biggest issues on offense is we’re not making more than one or two passes,” head coach Kevin Willard said. “Guys are a little bit antsy to try and do stuff. It’s causing us some trouble.” Led by veteran head coach Travis Ford, the Billikens zoned in on limiting Myles Powell, who finished with 16 points on 4-13 shooting from the field and 2-7 from deep. Powell only took two shots in the first half, did not get a shot off until the 10-minute mark and did not register his first points until 3:43 remained in the half. “The defender wasn’t even looking at the ball early in the half,” Powell said. “It seemed like they was subbing in different guys, three to four different guys just to guard me. They were face guarding and we’re going to go back, watch the film and see how we can get better shots and how I can get better shots for my teammates.” “This is all new for him,” Willard said of Powell facing increased attention from opposing defenses. “He didn’t get face guarded last year. He didn’t get doubled team off pick and roll. This is a big learning process of him learning to be more aggressive from the start. He’s just not used to it right now. The more he sees it, the more he’ll be able to recognize and understand what he has to do.” Despite Powell being a non-factor in the first half, Seton Hall only trailed 33-28 at halftime due in large part to stout perimeter defense from Quincy McKnight. Once the second half rolled around, McKnight, who finished with 14 points, stepped it up on the offensive end as well and sparked a Seton Hall offense that was struggling to get anything going. “I really liked the way he was aggressive in the second half,” Willard said. “For him, it’s getting used to a different level of competition, a different level of intensity. I really liked the way he responded in the second half. He was aggressive.” [Best_Wordpress_Gallery id="110" gal_title="MBB 11.17.2018"]
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