Friars Come Up Short, Drop 72-70 Decision to Seton Hall in OT

The Friars gave it all they had, but dropped a 72-70 decision in OT to
Seton Hall. The loss may have been a serious blow to PC's postseason hopes.

By Bob Murphy

This was a game the Providence College Friars had no business even being in. And, in the end, the game played out the way it ultimately was supposed to. Myles Powell hit the game-winning layup with less than 10 seconds left in overtime to lead the Seton Hall Pirates to a 72-70 victory over the Friars before 7,024 fans at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Wednesday night.

Seton Hall junior guard Khadeen Carrington led all scorers with 21 points. Junior forward Angel Delgado, who entered the night as the top rebounder in country, scored 19 points and grabbed 15 boards to aid the Pirates’ cause. Powell chipped in with 14 points, including the game-winner.

In the Big East, the rule is that home teams do not lose. Indeed, this season, home teams have won at a 101-33 clip. That’s a little more than a 75 percent advantage. Add to that the fact that the Friars blew 11 layups—gimme’s—and all the ingredients for a Seton Hall blowout were in place.

But that’s not what happened.

Led by junior forward Rodney Bullock, the Friars actually led by five points, 41-36, at halftime. Bullock scored 13 of his team-leading 19 in the first half. But they also proved to be their own worst enemy, ending the contest shooting 38.5 percent from the field—hindered greatly by the 11 blown shots in transition. Seton Hall shot 42.6 percent from the floor.

A back-and-forth contest for most of the game, Carrington, who scored the final seven points for Seton Hall, gave the Pirates a 70-68 lead on a layup with 1:04 left in OT. A foul by Pirates’ star Angel Delgado on the ensuing possession sent Emmitt Holt (14 points) to the line, where the junior banged in two clutch free throws to tie the score.

Seton Hall held the ball on its last possession, before Powell drove the lane and hit the game-winner with nine seconds left. Kyron Cartwright threw up a prayer—which would have tied the game—but fell short.

The loss could prove critical for the Friars’ postseason hopes. Providence fell to 14-11, 4-8 in Big East play, and their sub-par conference record now has the Friars’ season on life support. The Pirates, meanwhile, improved to 15-8 (6-6) and remain on the postseason bubble.

“We understand what’s in front of us and the challenge that we have, and also the opportunity that we have,” said relieved Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard.

“Another Big East battle,” said Friar head coach Ed Cooley, repeating an increasingly popular refrain. “I think Seton Hall was gritty. We had opportunities in regulation and overtime. This is the fourth game we’ve lost in our league with basically a minute to play.”

Unfortunately, close only counts in horseshoes—and certainly will not mean much for the Friars come postseason selection time. The Dance is now virtually out of the picture for Providence—short an improbable run in the Big East Championship tournament. The Friars remain in contention for NIT consideration, but their aforementioned 4-8 conference record has them on the bubble for that tournament as well, with precious little wiggle room for the remainder of the regular season.

Speaking of which, it doesn’t get any easier for the Friars. Next up will be a match-up with No. 22 Butler, which has an impressive 5-3 record on the road this season. Tip-off on Sat., Feb. 1, is slated for 4 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1.