From the beginning of the game, it appeared that the DePaul Blue Demons were unmatched and weren't prepared for Seton Hall's (20-11) size and athleticism. At the start of the game, the Pirates struggled to build any momentum due to their ability to get any lack of stops. It seemed anytime the Pirates came down the court to score, the Blue Demons quickly answered it in some capacity. Despite the Pirates' lack of dominance, the crowd remained electric throughout the game and, at times, carried them through shooting droughts.
“I bleed blue,” Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway said. “This is my school, this is my program. I always want to do well, and when we don’t win or do well, I feel like I let the school down. So now that things are going okay — they’re not going great, things are going okay — I just want to continue to keep building and keep moving forward. That’s the goal.”
Seton Hall's Slow Start
In the first half, the Pirates outflanked the Blue Demons' defense by creating effective ball movement and, most importantly, knocking down open shots. For the season, the Pirates shot 33%. However, during the contest, the Pirates managed to shoot 50%. The Pirates were led by senior wing Dre Davis's shooting, which opened up the floodgates for other teammates down the stretch. DePaul (3-28) didn't make it easy in the first half by throwing different looks on defense, but the Pirates began to settle down and adjust to their game plan. Late in the half, the Pirates began to anchor down and cause numerous turnovers, leading to fast break opportunities, crowd-pleasing dunks and momentum-shifting shots.
At halftime, the Pirates had a comfortable lead, 51-35. They were led by Davis, who had 12 points at halftime and ultimately finished with 28 points, making 10 of 15 shots for the game.
“This is why I came here,” Davis states, who transferred from Louisville two years ago and scored a career-high 28 points Saturday. “I truly believe in his vision, and we’re seeing it come to fruition now.”
After halftime, the Pirates cruised past the Blue Demons and won by a comfortable margin, 86-62. As they began to readjust their lineups and schemes, they quickly found holes in their defense, which led to easy scores in a timely fashion.
Turning Point for the Pirates
Midway through the season, there appeared to be a switch for the Pirates. Some didn’t believe they would finish No.4 in the Big East. However, they’ve flipped the script, which has shocked many. Holloway believes the turning point was earlier in the season when they played Rutgers. He was disappointed in the outcome, along with many of his team. From that point, the Pirates have shown more consistency and resilience throughout the year.
“I was disappointed in myself that I didn’t have my guys understand the magnitude of that game,” he said. “So after that, we had some talks and obviously after the Xavier game (a Dec. 23 road loss), we had 10 days off. We had a mini-boot camp, and I think after that, guys were focused on understanding what the Big East is all about, especially some of the new guys.”
What’s Next for the Pirates?
On Thursday, the No.4 Pirates shift their focus toward No.5 St.John’s and play in the first round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
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