(PHOTO COURTESY OF DALY DOSE OF HOOPS AND BOB DEA)
All things aside, when you don’t play in a game for 17 days and more than half of the program in the COVID-19 protocol, most expect the team decimated to not perform to expectation.
That was not the case for the No. 15/13 Seton Hall Pirates, which only allowed eight players to compete tonight due to a season-ending injury, as well as six players still dealing with a bout of the novel coronavirus. Associate head coach Grant Billmeier was also missed in the huddle as he fights off COVID.
Despite the Pirates (9-2, 0-1 Big East) being short-staffed, the 15th ranked team in the nation fell to the No. 21 Providence Friars (12-1, 2-0 Big East) by a score of 70-65 inside the Dunkin Donuts Center on Wednesday evening.
In the first half, both teams went toe-to-toe with one another, where both the Pirates and Friars were shooting a 33.3% clip from the floor at one point, where the Pirates were ahead by a score of 22-21.
Then, Ed Cooley and the Friars decided to put their game plan into overdrive and pull away from the 15th ranked team in the land, led by one man in particular.
Enter graduate forward Noah Horchler.
ON FIRE‼️🔥 @NoahHorchler1 has 4 3-pointers in only 17 minutes pic.twitter.com/0Cxom6eOqu
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 30, 2021
In the first 17 minutes of the contest, Horchler was the lone Friar to net home a shot from distance, as he landed four of them in five tries while helping pull off a 15-0 run in a short period.
For the Pirates, graduate forward Alexis Yetna sent home a finger roll layup to stop the Seton Hall bleeding and break up the run for Providence, allowing Kevin Willard and his program to head into the locker room trailing by single digits at nine.
In the last few minutes of the contest, the Pirates showed their resiliency and effort as they inched closer and closer to the Friars and had a lead for 77% of the game. Seton Hall had pulled within just three in the final minute of regulation after trailing by as much as 13, but Al Durham was able to sink home four free throws in two trips that ultimately sent the Friars away with its second Associated Press Top 25 victory in as many tries.
𝗟𝗼𝗴𝗼 𝗕𝗿𝘆𝗰𝗲 sighting at The Dunk 🎯@SetonHallMBB x #BIGEASThoops pic.twitter.com/MyfOI7n4Oe
— BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) December 30, 2021
Overall, Yetna grabbed 13 points and 11 rebounds in 38 minutes. The South Florida transfer was forced into a different role tonight, as starting center Ike Obiagu was one of the six players to remain in the COVID-19 protocol tonight. Tyrese Samuel was another missing piece for Willard tonight. Finally, all four freshmen in Brandon Weston, Tyler Powell, and Ryan Conway missed tonight’s game.
The Pirates had four players in double-figures tonight, with senior Jared Rhoden converting four-of-12 from the floor and tallied 10 points and ten rebounds. Rhoden also assisted on one basket and stole one. He did turn the ball over three times too. Tray Jackson played a vital role adding 10 points to the scoreboard, with three rebounds and two triples. In the second half, graduate guard Bryce Aiken entered foul trouble late but still contributed three-of-11 from the floor but added four points from the line in six tries.
Seton Hall’s bench tallied 16 points, while the Friars maintained the exact total in the respective category. The Pirates also obtained nine points off ten turnovers while adding eight second-chance points, compared to just one bucket for Providence.
The Friars, Nate Watson, Al Durham, AJ Reeves, Noah Horchler, and Jared Bynum all landed in double-figures, with Horchler notching 17 points and grabbing 13 boards. In addition to the five triples, the North Florida transfer played a significant role on the defensive side of the ball, where he logged a trio of blocks.
For graduate center Nate Watson, he became the 18th student-athlete to tally 1,500 points in a Providence Friars uniform. Watson accomplished the feat on a shot in the latter stages of the first half.
Congrats to Nate Watson on becoming the 18th student-athlete in program history to record 1,500 or more points pic.twitter.com/rsgLfWeyqa
— Providence MBB (@PCFriarsmbb) December 30, 2021
For the Pirates, they are back in action (baring any COVID-19 related issues) on Saturday, January 1, as they welcome Jay Wright and No. 22 Villanova to the Prudential Center for a 2 p.m. showdown on CBS.
