Seton Hall University
No. 3 Louisville
MBB Fades Late vs. #3 Louisville
1/10/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NEWARK, N.J. - The Seton Hall men's basketball team's upset bid came up short on Wednesday night as the Pirates fell to #3 Louisville, 73-58, in their BIG EAST home opener.
It was the first home loss of the season for Seton Hall (12-4, 1-2) who had won its previous two games against opponents ranked in the top-10 dating back to 2011-12.
Sophomore Brandon Mobley (Savannah, Ga.) led all scorers with 18 points and added seven rebounds. Gene Teague (Vineland, N.J.) scored in double-figures for the fifth-straight game and the 12th time this season, finishing the night with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor. He also added a team-high 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the year.
Mobley poured in 15 of his points in the first half, helping the Pirates stay within striking distance heading into the break. The 6-foot-8 forward had the touch on his jumper working early as he nailed a three-pointer just under two minutes into the action to give SHU its first lead at 5-4. Louisville went on to score six unanswered, but a Teague layup and a long-range connection from Louisville native Aaron Cosby evened the score at the 15:01 mark. Over the next five minutes, Mobley helped bust an active Louisville zone, hitting three consecutive shots to put Seton Hall back on top 16-14.
The Pirates next 12 points came from the foul line however as the Cardinals held The Hall without a made field goal for over eight minutes, outscoring SHU by 10 during the stretch. Teague ended the drought with a layup with 1:34 before the half, sparking a run of six straight Seton Hall points that sent the Pirates to the locker room down just two at 36-34.
SHU held a decisive advantage from the line in the first 20 minutes, converting on 14 of 21 attempts. Louisville, who entered the night forcing an average of over 20 turnovers a contest, scored 18 combined points off turnovers and second-chance opportunities.
The opening minutes of the second half were a defensive struggle as the teams combined for seven missed shots and four turnovers to start the period. Louisville's Kevin Ware opened the scoring, stretching the visitors' lead to 40-34 with back-to-back fastbreak layups. Seton Hall responded by scoring eight of the next 10 points, capped by a rainbow three-pointer from Fuquan Edwin (Paterson, N.J.) that leveled the score at 42-42 with 12:53 remaining. The Pirates struggled to solve the Louisville pressure the rest of the way however, as the Cardinals rattled off 10 unanswered points to open up a decisive advantage.
UofL (14-1, 2-0) scored 21 points off 16 turnovers to seal its ninth straight win. Gorgui Dieng paced the Cardinals with a 16-point, 14-rebound effort.
The Pirates will be back in action on Sunday, Jan. 13 when they host Providence. Game time is scheduled for noon ET.
