DECK THE HALL
Pirates survive scuffle and ejection
SETON HALL coach Kevin Willard likes where his 23rd-ranked Pirates are entering Big East play.
“I think we’re excited about being 11-2,” Willard said Saturday after a 74-62 victory over Manhattan. “I think we’ve put ourselves in good position heading into the Big East.”
But Willard has a lot on his plate, namely the suspension of senior forward Ismael Sanogo before the game, the loss of sophomore guard Myles Powell to an ejection during the game and the near-loss of freshman guard Jordan Walker, who left the program and returned last Tuesday.
“I’m not a happy camper,” Willard said. “It’s been a tough week.”
Sanogo was suspended for something “off the court, not basketballwise,” Willard said.
Willard said that he had no real problem with Powell’s ejection. He left with 40 seconds remaining in the first half, along with Manhattan’s Rich Williams, after an altercation under the Manhattan basket, after scoring 13 points in the first half.
AUBURN 89, UCONN 64: Desean Murray and Mustapha Heron each scored 13 points and a balanced effort led host Auburn to a win over UConn.
DAYTON 79, WAGNER 67: Josh Cunningham scored 19 points, Darrell Davis added 17 and Dayton held on to defeat visiting Wagner after letting most of a 22-point halftime lead slip away. Blake Francis had 24 points for Wagner.
ST. PETER’S 71, ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN 68: Samuel Idowu scored a career-high 20 points including a layup in overtime that proved to be the winner in a victory for Saint Peter’s in Jersey City.
WEST VIRGINIA 86, FORDHAM 69: Jevon Carter picked up his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 assists to lead No. 10 West Virginia to a victory over visiting Fordham. Will Tavares led Fordham with 18 points.
UCLA 83, KENTUCKY 75: Aaron Holiday capped a 20-point game with a pivotal driving scoop and two free throws in the final 33 seconds for UCLA against the No. 7 Wildcats.
UNC 86, OHIO STATE 72: Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson each scored 19 points, and No. 5 North Carolina bounced back from a loss to Wofford with a convincing victory.
NEW MEXICO STATE 63, MIAMI 54: Zach Lofton scored nine of his 15 points in the second half and New Mexico State handed No. 6 Miami its first loss of the season. —AP AP