Myles Powell leads the charge as Seton Hall bests Wagner

Myles Powell erupted for 30 points as the Seton Hall Pirates rung in the new season with a bang. The Pirates triumphed over the Wagner Seahawks with a dominant 40-point win, to the tune of an 89-49 final score.

Powell was unconscious from the field. The junior sensation shot 10-for-13 from the field and was particularly a problem in the second half. He didn’t miss a shot from the field, going 4-for-4 in the second frame and 2-for-2 from the 3-point line. Speaking of outside success, Powell was a hearty 5-for-7 from deep for the game. After shooting 37.9 percent from the 3-point line last year, it looks like he’s going to remain a threat this season if this early showing is any indication.

The Pirates never really made this much of a contest. They led 43-27 at never once trailed. The game was tied four times and for 1:55, but apart from that, this wasn’t much of a contest. Wagner was dominated in just about every facet. They lost the battle on field goal percentage, free throws, turnovers, rebounds and more. Bench points, points in the paint, fast break points, blocks, steals and assists were all headed by the Pirates.

While it was The Myles Powell Show (live in technicolor), he wasn’t the only one who had a standout showing. Michael Nzei shined brightly, as he scored 11 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Nzei went 5-for-6 from the field, proving to be a quality presence in the paint. Syracuse Orange transfer Taurean Thompson had seven points in his Seton Hall debut, along with two rebounds, but found himself in foul trouble, finishing with four personals. Sandro Mamukelashvili had seven points and five boards with two assists, meanwhile.

Quincy McKnight performed very well in his Seton Hall debut. The former standout with the Sacred Heart Pioneers had six points, six boards and four assists in just 16 minutes of action. His time was limited as he had four fouls, but he certainly made the most of his time on the floor. Freshmen guards Anthony Nelson and Jared Rhoden had a combined 10 points, five rebounds and five assists, all of them coming off the hands of Nelson. The dynamic freshman duo also committed just one combined turnover in their respective times on the floor (24 minutes for Nelson, 17 for Rhoden).

AJ Sumbry was the team leader in points for the Seahawks with 12 points. Devin Liggeons led in rebounds with five, and Romone Saunders led the team in assists with three.

Next for Seton Hall will be a clash with the Nebraska Cornhuskers as part of the 2018 Gavitt Tip-Off Games. They’ll play in Lincoln next Wednesday.