Seton Hall took down St. Peter’s, 57-53, at the Prudential Center on Monday, Nov. 4, marking their second consecutive season opener victory against the Peacocks. The Pirates went into the game with a brand-new roster from the previous season, marking the first taste of playing on a Big East team for some new faces.
Old Dominion transfer Chaunce Jenkins was the lead scorer and rebounder for Seton Hall in the victory, tallying 19 points and six rebounds in his Seton Hall debut.
“I don’t have to force anything,” Jenkins said. “The system that Coach Sha put in place for us, it’s a really team-driven system. We just go out there and play hard, and the rest will handle itself.”
Also making key contributions were Dylan Addae-Wusu with eight points, four assists, and three steals, Prince Aligbe dropping 10, and Yacine Toumi with seven points and a key block that “saved the game,” according to Jenkins.
St. Peter’s struck first in the game off a 3-pointer from Bryce Eaton. Seton Hall responded with a thunderous dunk off a fast break from Garwey Dual, assisted by Addae-Wusu.
The Pirate defense pestered the Peacocks, forcing multiple turnovers in the early minutes of the contest. The Pirates struck again with a throwdown from Godswill Erheriene, granting the Pirates their first lead of the game.
The Peacocks would respond with another three-pointer from Eaton, breaking up a six-minute scoring drought for St. Peter’s. Seton Hall would capitalize at the charity stripe, growing their lead off free throws. Toumi then scored off a midrange jumper with some fancy footwork, granting the Hall a six-point lead at the midpoint of the first half.
The Peacocks continued dominating from beyond the arc, tying it up following 3-pointers from Marcus Randolph and Brent Bland. They soon claimed the lead with two foul shots from Armoni Zeigler. The teams traded triples, with trifectas from Jenkins, Addae-Wusu, Zeigler, and David Tubek.
The Peacock offense was even deadlier from the arc, with nearly all field goals in the first half being threes. Jenkins continued to light up the Rock, delivering yet another Pirate slam dunk at just over three minutes. Peacocks continued to open fire as Bland and Adetokunbo Bakare buried shots from downtown, cutting down the Pirate lead to only five before the halftime buzzer.
St. Peter’s would also score first in the second half, as Randolph shot two free throws reducing the Pirate lead to three. The Peacocks would then take flight with an alley-oop dunk from Mouhamed Sow tossed by Eaton, Seton Hall’s lead dwindling to one.
St. Peter’s would soon tie it up with two free throws from Stephon Roberts. The stalemate would not last for long, with Jenkins getting a wide-open look from three. The back-and-forth continued between the two teams until Eaton claimed the first St. Peter’s lead since the first half off a stolen pass leading to a coast-to-coast reverse layup. Seton Hall and St. Peter’s would then exchange free throw opportunities, as both teams reached the double bonus with eight minutes remaining.
Free throws were the deciding factor in the late game. Addae-Wusu breathed life into a stagnant Pirate offense, with an and-one layup putting the Pirates ahead with nine minutes left in the contest. This would not last long, as the Peacocks would reclaim the lead after Jakai Sanders connected from beyond.
The Pirate defense placed immense pressure on St. Peter’s, forcing three turnovers in the span of three minutes. Aligbe would then take back the lead, making an important layup in transition off a pass from Dual. Randolph fouled Aligbe on a 3-pointer, allowing Aligbe to increase The Hall’s lead to four. The Peacocks continued chipping away the Seton Hall lead, but Addae-Wusu was able to seal the game with a final free throw with six seconds remaining, allowing Seton Hall to hold out as time expired.
Physical defense was the name of the game tonight, with four players fouling out before the final buzzer. Free throws were the deciding factor in the game, with 62 total free throws taken by both teams combined. Twenty-four of Seton Hall’s points (42.1%) were from the charity stripe, while 16 (30.1%) of the Peacocks’ total points were free throws.
“You just gotta make more,” Jenkins said. “You go to the line too many times to not cash in, those were [Coach Shaheen Holloway’s] exact words… you just get back in the gym and work on it.”
Foul shooting was not the only oddity in the game. Seton Hall’s defense was key in winning them the game and was set at a full-court press the entire game.
“That’s how I wanna play, that’s how we’re gonna play,” Coach Holloway said regarding his defensive strategy. “Towards the end, I think we wore ‘em down a little bit, and [Addae-Wusu] got some key stops. He has to bring that intensity all the time.”
Seton Hall is currently 1-1 after a 56-57 loss to Fordham on Nov. 9. Their next game is against Hofstra on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. at the Nassau Coliseum.
Christian Hui is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at christian.hui@student.shu.edu.
