Myles Powell Dominant, but No. 11 Oregon Beats No. 13 Seton Hall

The No. 11 Oregon Ducks already have two nonconference wins that will resonate until Selection Sunday.

Oregon overcame a 19-point deficit and defeated the No. 13 Seton Hall Pirates 71-69 on Wednesday in the first game of the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau for the Pac-12 and Big East representatives. The Ducks are now 6-0 with wins over Seton Hall and Memphis after Payton Pritchard helped his team make an early statement in a loaded tournament featuring North Carolina, Gonzaga, Michigan and Iowa State.

While Pritchard was the star in the second half, Shakur Juiston hit the game-winning shot off an offensive rebound with less than 10 seconds left.

The Pirates are 4-2 and missed chances to beat both Michigan State and Oregon in nonconference play.

Notable Player Stats

• ORE G Payton Pritchard: 16 points, six assists and six turnovers on 3-of-7 shooting from deep
• ORE F Shakur Juiston: 12 points and nine rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting
• SH G Myles Powell: 32 points on 7-of-15 shooting from deep

Seton Hall's One-Man Band Not Enough Against Elite Competition Again

There is no doubting Myles Powell's status as one of the best players in all of college basketball.

After all, he was a member of the Associated Press preseason All-America team alongside some of the country's most elite players in Michigan State's Cassius Winston, Memphis' James Wiseman, Louisville's Jordan Nwora and Marquette's Markus Howard. He answered any doubts about whether he belonged by dropping 37 points against the Spartans.

However, that game, as well as Wednesday's, revealed the team's biggest flaw.

No other Pirate scored more than 12 against Michigan State or 10 against Oregon. Even when he went into flamethrower mode in the second half of the latest loss, the Ducks were able to swarm him down the stretch and make one more charge to come away with the win.

Powell was still incredible, torching Oregon with four three-pointers before the first television timeout of the second half and seemingly having an answer for every one of the Pac-12 team's counterpunches.

Still, he didn't land the final punch with all the defensive focus on containing him. If even one of his teammates found the touch, Seton Hall wouldn't have been in a position where it needed its superstar to bail it out after building what should have been an overwhelming lead.

Making matters worse for the Pirates is the fact Powell was helped off the floor at the end of the game. If he isn't healthy and dropping over 30 points every night, this team will be unable to compete against the best in the nation come March.

Payton Pritchard, Pressing Defense Spearhead Comeback

It appeared as if Seton Hall solved Pritchard right out of the gates.

He picked up two quick fouls in the first half and another early in the second half and finished with six turnovers going up against a swarming defense. His frustration was palpable, especially as the Pirates cut off his driving lanes with length and penetration.

However, the tide started to turn when Oregon switched to a pressing defense and trapped Seton Hall's ball-handlers in the deep corner. That helped force the ball out of Powell's hands as the Ducks gradually chipped away at the 19-point deficit.

Pritchard sensed the opportunity and unleashed a barrage of well-timed passes and drives to the basket all while leading the trapping press that ended Seton Hall's rhythm.

The senior went on a 4-0 run by himself with less than two minutes remaining to tie the game before Juiston scored the winning basket off a rare miss from the guard down the stretch.

It was a comeback win that will surely give the Ducks confidence heading into the later rounds of the Battle 4 Atlantis, and Pritchard proved how valuable his leadership is once again.

What's Next?

Both teams play their second game of the tournament on Thursday. The Ducks faces the Gonzaga Bulldogs, while the Pirates play the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles.