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In the Game Preview, I wrote that Seton Hall desperately needed a win. On Sunday night, they got it.
The Pirates beat Eastern Washington, 92-70, adding a much-needed W to their season win total. The pain train is set to leave the express early in January when the Pirates are scheduled to take on a slew of heavyweight opponents in succession, including #8 Villanova. Needless to say, the team needs to beat schools like EWU as they prepare for the road ahead.
Fuquan Edwin had 11 points and eight steals in his first game back after missing three (but really four) contests with an ankle injury. With Sterling Gibbs currently sidelined with a knee injury, the Pirates will look to Edwin in the coming weeks to re-emerge as the team’s top scorer.
Patrik Auda also returned to the floor for the first time in nearly a month. The junior slasher played just six minutes, but tallied six points. His presence alone was encouraging for a Seton Hall team that desperately needs a spark.
Brian Oliver added an efficient 16 points (5-9 FG), and Gene Teague played solid despite breaking his four-game double-double streak. The senior big man had 16 points and snagged nine boards in just 26 minutes of action.
Jaren Sina played a team-high 35 minutes, and was outstanding. Sina notched 14 points, eight assists, three steals and three boards. Perhaps the most important number in Sina’s statline, though, was his turnover count: zero.
In an up-and-down season, Sina has thrived at times and struggled during others while being stationed at the helm of Seton Hall’s offense. Until Gibbs gets healthy, Sina will be the court general for the time being.
Tyler Harvey led the way for Eastern Washington, totaling 16 points and four boards on the night. Parker Kelly also added 17 points in 40 minutes of play.
Seton Hall smacked the Eagles in the second half, rattling off a 32-15 run in about an 11-minute span.
Grading the Pirates
| Player | Grade | Comments |
| Jaren Sina | A+ | Aggressive, efficient and effective. Sina was great offensively on Sunday night, failing to commit a single turnover while leading the team in minutes. |
| Gene Teague | A | Teague needs to shoot more. He scored 16 points on just six shots on Sunday, but was efficient and hit the glass hard as always. |
| Brian Oliver | A | Oliver led a balanced scoring attack with 16 points. When he's hitting three-pointers (2-4 3PT), Oliver is tough to slow down. |
| Patrik Auda | A+ | Auda came back and actually played on Sunday night, so that warrants such a high grade. He scored six points in as many minutes, and will continue expanding his role with the team as he gets back from the injury. |
| Fuquan Edwin | A- | It's great that Edwin is back on the floor for the Pirates, and the eight steals were tremendous. Offensively, he's going to have to a bit more efficient than 5-12, but Sunday was a strong performance nonetheless. |
