Seton Hall had its seven-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the DePaul on Sunday afternoon, setting the Pirates back to 11-4 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
The Pirates had a chance for comeback, buzzer-beater glory yet again, but Sandro Mamukelashvili came up short on a shot from beyond the arc after the Pirates received possession off a jump ball with six seconds left in the contest. Mamukelashvili could not find Myles Powell for a handoff, but he was able to get a clean look off despite missing the shot.
Both teams came out firing offensively in the first half, exchanging baskets up until the first media timeout where the Pirates held a 10-8 edge. From there, the Blue Demons began to take control.
After a 13-10 Seton Hall lead, DePaul slowly built its way up. The Blue Demons quickly jumped out to a 28-15 lead and forced Kevin Willard to burn two timeouts. The stagnant offensive play was partially contributed by the Pirates 1-for-12 start from three-point range, which transitioned into opportunities or the Blue Demons.
Seton Hall was able to edge its way closer by the end of the half, however, and kept the deficit to only five points.
While Seton Hall appeared to come into the second half more focused, DePaul kept them at bay, carrying them to a ten-point lead with 13:29 to go. The Blue Demons kept their foot on the gas, even after the Pirates attempted to swing the momentum to keep the game manageable after clutch plays from Max Strus.
Taurean Thompson eventually provided the spark for the Pirates, as they scored eleven points in three minutes from three makes behind the arc, and another bucket near the rim. However, the Blue Demons’ 15-point lead gave them some breathing room as they took the momentum back to keep a 66-57 lead with 7:18 to go.
Seton Hall slowly crept back into the mix behind some defensive stops to the credit of Shavar Reynolds Jr. With Myles Cale on the bench due to foul trouble in the waning minutes, Quincy McKnight, Powell, and Reynolds Jr., took the guard roles on the court.
Powell made things interesting with a three-pointer off a screen with less than 30 seconds remaining, but he did not have the same fate on the next possession when he came up short. Following the Mamukelashvili last-second miss, the Pirates could not mount another possession.
Seton Hall will return to action in Big East play on Jan. 9 against Butler at 8:30 p.m.
Keith Egan can be reached at keith.egan@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @keith_egan10.
