Seton Hall-Providence: Pirates Survive Late Rally By Friars, Turn to Notre Dame

Seton Hall (19-11) came into the Big East tournament with an RPI at 54. The Pirates knew they needed to make a serious run in the next few days in order to impress the NCAA selection committee.  Tonight’s win over Providence (12-18), 109-106 will get them that much closer to their dream.

It wasn’t Jeremy Hazell who made Providence nervous this game, it was Herb Pope. Pope went into the half with 18 points and eight rebounds; he finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds. He was the main reason Seton Hall took a 55-39 lead into the half. This was his 13th double-double on the season.

Providence knew it was only a matter of time before Hazell, Seton Hall’s star player, made his impact on the game. It came in the second half as Hazell scored 18 points in the game, mostly in the second half before fouling out with 31 seconds left.

Seton Hall had all five starters in double figures against the porous Friar defense. Eugene Harvey finished with 12 points, while Jeff Robinson chipped in 15 points and six rebounds.

Jordan Theodore finished with 21 points and six assists. He was Seton Hall’s sharpshooter tonight going 3-3 from behind the arc. The Pirates finished shooting 53 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range.

Providence doesn’t know how to play defense, but they do know how to score. It was the fourth time this season Providence has scored 100 or more points in a game.

Jamie Peterson finished with a career high 38 points, he also had 16 rebounds, 10 of which were offensive. He was a large part of the offensive success for the Friars, not only in this game, but also throughout the season.

Marshon Brooks had 15 points, Sharaud Curry added 14, and Bilal Dixon tallied 16 as the other Friars in double figures in scoring.

This was the second time this season the Friars have allowed 100 or more points; both were losses. USF scored 109 in an overtime victory against Providence in January. This was the highest total they’ve allowed in a Big East tournament game.

The largest lead was 26 points, but Providence cut it down to three with 21 seconds left in the game. Once Herb Pope fouled out, the Friars got some late momentum even though it was too little too late.

Seton Hall will turn its focus onto Notre Dame. These two teams are in the thick of the bubble talk and both could use the win. Notre Dame currently has an RPI of 57, and an impressive Big East resume going into tournament play. The Pirates won the previously meeting this season 90-87 a month ago.