Big East Basketball: Seton Hall edges Providence in overtime to earn must-needed win

Myles Powell hits the go-ahead basket in overtime to help Seton Hall top Providence in a hard-fought Big East basketball game.

With their NCAA Tournament hopes hanging in the balance, the Seton Hall Pirates desperately needed a home victory over the Providence Friars on Wednesday night at the Prudential Center.

It was anything but easy, however, the Pirates were able to sneak by Ed Cooley’s team in overtime, 72-70, thanks to a go-ahead shot by Myles Powell with seven seconds remaining. Kyron Cartwright took a long two on the other end that was no good and the Pirates improved to 15-8 and 5-6 in the Big East.

Kevin Willard’s group was led by Khadeen Carrington, who notched 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, and Angel Delgado, who recorded his fifth straight double-double. With Desi Rodriguez playing poorly (six points on 1-of-9 shooting), Powell stepped up, scoring 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting and Michael Nzei had an efficient six points.

While the Pirates won this game in overtime and saved themselves from notching a “bad loss,” their play in the first half was particularly concerning. Without Ismael Sanogo (who was out with a sprained ankle), Seton Hall was giving the Friars free lanes to the basket, getting burned in transition and getting carved up in pick-and-roll situations.

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The Friars jumped out to a 27-12 lead, using their speed and athleticism to make plays on the fast break and finish around the rim.

But with the home court advantage on their side, Carrington playing one of his better games of the season and desperation setting in, the Pirates settled down and battled back into it.

After trailing by five at the break, they used improved awareness defensively and their size advantage in the paint to limit the Friars. The Pirates grabbed key offensive rebounds and while Providence was excellent in terms of protecting the rim in the first half, the Pirates attacked the basket with fearlessness and toughness.

Seton Hall prevailed in overtime due to Powell’s composure in the lane, but it was also Providence’s mistakes down the stretch that helped the Pirates get their 15th win of the year. Cooley’s inexperienced team missed layups (Isaiah Jackson missed two late in the second half) and bricked free throws. The final possession of the game (when Cartwright missed the long two to tie it up) was a terrible look that could’ve easily resulted in action closer to the basket.

Regardless of how it played out on the floor, the Pirates are feeling good about themselves. They have a road battle with St. John’s at Madison Square Garden on Saturday that can help them get back to .500 in the Big East. More importantly, though, Seton Hall has three straight home games following their showdown with the Red Storm. All three of those match-ups are against ranked teams in Creighton, Villanova, and Xavier. The Pirates have opportunities and if they can capitalize and win two of those match-ups, they will be a lock for the NCAA Tournament.

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Meanwhile, it looks likely that the Friars are destined to end their three-year NCAA Tournament streak. Providence is just too young and inexperienced even though they have shown improvement on both ends of the floor throughout the year. However, they don’t have a single senior on their roster, and players like Alpha Diallo, Maliek White, and Kalif Young have gradually taken the next step. The Friars will be a force for years to come.

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