Seton Hall men’s basketball hosted Wagner for its fourth consecutive home contest on Nov. 20 before heading on the road for two games.
Wagner converted from deep early in the game as Rahmir Moore got his shot to fall. The Pirates, unhappy with their performance against Iowa on Nov. 16th, followed an Al Amir-Dawes jumper with an astounding 17-2 run out of the gate. Dawes had seven points on the run, and Femi Odukale added to his highlight reel with a steal leading to a monstrous dunk.
The Seahawks, trailing 21-5, found rhythm with a 10-2 run and cut the lead to single digits with 4:50 remaining in the first half. Seton Hall closed out the half with a 12-4 run, though Wagner’s Moore knocked down a last-second three-pointer.
Going into the second half, the Pirates led 35-22. Dawes impressed with 10 points on the strength of four-for-seven from the field and three steals in his first start for The Hall. KC Ndefo added eight points and pulled down five rebounds. Tyrese Samuel also scored six points.
Six straight points from the Pirates opened the half, and Dawes connected on consecutive three-pointers to extend the lead to 20, the score being 47-27 with 15:45 left. Wagner could not catch up as Tray Jackson, who scored 14 of his 16 points after the break, hit his second triple and brought the lead to 30.
Jackson would knock down a third shot from behind the arc minutes later as The Hall lead 76-34 with 6:29 remaining. Wagner closed the game with an 8-2 run, though the Pirates walked out of the Prudential Center with an 82-44 victory.
The Pirates shot 11-of-23 from behind the arc in the dominant victory. Five Pirates scored double figures, led by Dawes’s 19 points on five three-pointers along with four rebounds. Jackson followed with 16 points on a perfect 3-for-3 from long range. Ndefo ended with 12 points, and Odukale followed with 11 points. Samuel nearly had a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Seton Hall improves to 3-1 on the season with the victory. The men’s basketball team will head to Orlando, Fla. to play in the ESPN Events Invitational. Their first game will be a Thanksgiving showdown against Memphis University on Nov. 24.
Thomas Donnelly can be reached at thomas.donnelly@student.shu.edu. Find him on Twitter @_tommyd023.
