On a rainy New Jersey night, fans piled into the Prudential Center to watch Seton Hall defeat Villanova, 66-56. Senior guard Kadary Richmond continued to impress, leading the way with 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
In a game of runs, the Wildcats took an early 10-4 advantage led by Eric Dixon. The redshirt senior showed off his three-ball, connecting off a pass from forward Trey Burton.
The Pirates stormed back with threes from Richmond and Dre Davis and were down just 13-12 with 13:08 remaining in the first half.
The Pirates were showing their grit, boxing out and getting physical to control the boards. Freshman wing Isaiah Coleman, graduate center Jaden Bediako, and senior forward Dylan Addae-Wusu nearly all collided after a rebound at the 7:53 mark.
The tides would turn when senior guard Al-Amir Dawes hit two threes within two minutes, igniting the crowd. Running around an off-ball screen, Dawes found himself open at the top of the key and connected to take the lead, 23-22. He found himself open shortly after and hit his second triple to a roaring crowd response.
Dawes pulled the trigger from far behind the three-point line but couldn’t find the mark on his last attempt of the half. The Pirates still had the momentum and were leading, 30-24, at halftime.
Almost immediately after the second half started, Addae-Wusu went down after contact, but he was okay. Not long after, Dawes threw a cross-court pass to Addae-Wusu, who connected for a three in the corner.
Good ball movement and patience led to another open Addae-Wusu three, giving the Pirates a strong 41-29 lead with 16:26 remaining. Villanova wouldn’t stay down for long, going on an 8-2 run to close the gap.
Davis hit two jumpers and assisted on a three by Richmond to retake the momentum.
“Dre’s been our backbone,” Coach Holloway said in the press conference after the game. “I ask a lot of him, and he’s been doing it for us.”
Villanova clawed their way closer once again, with guards Jordan Longino and Brendan Hausen each knocking down a three. Hausen was fouled on his attempt and connected from the free throw line, closing Seton Hall’s lead to just 50-44 with 6:06 remaining.
The teams would trade baskets over the next few minutes, and there was a questionable decision when Davis was called for a foul. Davis leapt into the air to block Mark Armstrong, and the referees said he hit Armstrong on his way up. Davis was visibly frustrated, and the fans rained down the boos on the referees.
Villanova’s TJ Bamba made a layup with 2:48 remaining, and the Pirates were up 56-51, but this is the closest that the Wildcats would get for the rest of the game. With limited time, Villanova had to foul, sending several Pirates to the line. Richmond, Davis, and Bediako knocked down free throws to close out the game, 66-56
With the victory, Seton Hall snapped their eight-game losing streak against Villanova. Coach Holloway emphasized how hard his players worked to prepare for the game and their constant effort throughout the season.
“I’m not one of those coaches that has a light practice the day before a game,” Coach Holloway said. “We practiced hard.”
Holloway has now achieved 100 career head coaching wins across his time at Seton Hall and Saint Peter’s. The Pirates look forward to Saturday, March 9th when they face DePaul at 8:30 p.m. at the Prudential Center.
Matt Soetebeer is the Setonian’s assistant sports editor. He can be reached at matthew.soetebeer@student.shu.edu.
