Seton Hall lost to a significantly less talented St. Peter’s team, 83-80, in overtime on Saturday. But star guard Sterling Gibbs -- the Pirates’ leading scorer, ball-handler and distributor -- went down with an ugly knee injury at the end of regulation.
Coach Kevin Willard had some ominous comments after the game in regards to Gibbs’ health, per Brendan Prunty of The Star Ledger.
"We won't know for sure until (Sunday) afternoon after he gets his MRI," a once-again somber Willard said in his postgame remarks. "But it doesn't look good."
Fuquan Edwin has missed the past three games with an ankle injury, and Patrik Auda’s ankle has kept him out of six games on the year. Senior big man Aaron Geramipoor also got hurt against St. Peter’s, and will miss about 2-3 weeks with an ankle injury.
Seton Hall has yet to play a team that’s truly better, but that hasn’t stopped them from dropping four games on the year. Going forward, it doesn’t get any easier, either. The Pirates have tough January road ahead of them, with consecutive games against Creighton, #10 Villanova, Marquette, Georgetown and St. John’s to begin the month.
It should be noted that Brian Oliver was spectacular for the Hall, going 8-for-15 from the field and tying his season-high with 26 points. He added 10 boards in 44 minutes, and was tremendous on defense the entire afternoon.
Gene Teague extended his impressive string of double-doubles, netting 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds along the way. Teague is averaging under six shots a game this season, and needs to take on a bigger role with Gibbs and Edwin -- Seton Hall’s two best players -- sidelined for the time being.
Desi Washington torched the Pirates, erupting for a game-high 34 points on 10-of-17 shooting. The junior guard was electric from the opening tip and hit seven of his nine attempts from beyond the arc en route to the Peacocks’ third victory of the season.
Losing the game hurts, but losing Gibbs -- potentially for the season -- stings a hundred times more. Saturday was a rough day in South Orange.
Grading the Pirates
Sterling Gibbs | O | Gibbs could be out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, potentially dooming the Pirates as they embark on a brutal winter schedule. |
Brian Oliver | A+ | Oliver was red-hot from the field, and will have to give the team efforts like that with more consistency as more and more scorers go down with ailments. |
Gene Teague | A | Teague was a monster yet again, but needs to get more involved. He took just nine shots on Saturday, but still managed to to finish as SHU's third leading scorer. |
Jaren Sina | D | Sina was 0-7 from the field and contributed just two points in 32 minutes. He turned the ball over four times and finished with one lone assist. If Gibbs is out for the year, which is likely, Sina is in large for a huge bump in ball-handling duties. |
Brandon Mobley | C | Mobley missed nine shots, but still snagged nine boards. Not a great night, but Mobley still contributed. |