Game 2: Pirates 80 Bulldogs 44
A Seton Hall Men's Basketball recap of the game vs the Yale Bulldogs of the Ivy League
A Sunday noon tip-off against a strong Ivy League program in Yale a few days before a titanic, possibly season defining, matchup had all the warning signs of a potential let down game or even an upset. But a newly activated Jared Rhoden and the Pirates did not entertain the idea or allow Yale to think they had a shot for even a second in the smackdown they delivered.
First Half
Unlike the season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson, Seton Hall wasted no time getting out in front in this one with early offense from Jamir Harris, and Myles Cale getting the Pirates a 15-2 lead in the first five and a half minutes of action. Yale fought back and cut it to a four point deficit but Seton Hall responded with a 14-0 run to lead 33-15 at the under four timeout. Kadary Richmond and Bryce Aiken, who absolutely lit up the Bulldogs during his time at Harvard, were big on the offensive end down the stretch of the half with the definitive play of the game being an Aiken lob to Jared Rhoden who threw it down for a thunderous slam. An outstanding play by Myles Cale to tip in a miss in the waning moments of the half gave The Hall a 45-22 halftime lead.
Second Half
Seton Hall opened the second half with quick baskets that really put Yale on the ropes. Any hope of a comeback for the Bulldogs was snuffed out by the suffocating Seton Hall defense which has been a huge early improvement for SHU this year as opposed to last year especially guarding the perimeter. In the second frame the Bulldogs went almost eight minutes without scoring a single point as the Pirates continued to pour it on. Alexis Yetna and Tyrese Samuel had strong halves on both ends of the floor as well as the Syracuse transfer Kadary Richmond. Former JUCO standout Jo Smith also got into the action with a few layups and the development of his role within this team will be an interesting thing to watch for.
Aftermath
Another very complete dominating win has most of the Seton Hall fanbase quite excited for this team and I am among the optimists. Alexis Yetna led the Pirates with 15 points on efficient shooting, Kadary Richmond had 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, but the player of the game was Myles Cale. The super senior had 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, and a block. Jared Rhoden and Tyrese Samuel also flirted with double doubles off the bench. The Seton Hall defense was outstanding throughout the game holding the Bulldogs to 24.1% shooting from the field and 4-30 shooting from 3PT range. The rebounding, another issue from last year’s squad, was another strong point as Seton Hall out-rebounded Yale 53-57. One area of improvement for SHU that will very likely get harped on in the coming practices is the FT shooting as the Pirates only shot 66.7% from the charity stripe on 18 attempts.
Up Next
The Pirates continue their trek through this hazardous schedule with a monumental showdown in Ann Arbor vs #4 Michigan as a part of the Gavitt tipoff games an annual Big East vs Big Ten event that has led to some great showdowns for Seton Hall in years past. The game is November 16th and will begin at 9PM while being televised on FS1. This is a game that fans have had circled on their calendars since it was announced and with the fast start of this team the hype is bound to mount and mount all the way until the ball is tipped.