Seton Hall gives coach Willard win in return
Seton Hall welcomed back its coach, but lost Myles Powell for the foreseeable future after he sprained his ankle.
Romaro Gill had 10 points and 10 assists while Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 17 points as the 12th-ranked Pirates withstood the injury to Powell and beat visiting Stony Brook 74-57 in a game that marked the return of coach Kevin Willard.
Powell, the Big East preseason player of the year and an Associated Press preseason All-America selection, sprained his left ankle five minutes into the game and didn’t return. Afterward, Willard said Powell was undergoing X-rays on a “serious” ankle sprained that “might be a prolonged absence.”
“I thought we did OK at first, and then when the news trickle down the bench that he wasn’t coming back I just think everyone kind of understood if as tough as he is if he’s not coming back, he had to be hurt and I think that kind of shook us a little bit,” Willard said. “And in the second half I think everyone kind of understood what they needed to do and did what they needed to do.”
Seton Hall guard Quincy McKnight added 14 points.
“It affected us a lot,” McKnight said of Powell’s injury. “All-American, Big East Preaseason Player of the year, guy who scores 25-plus points for us, yeah, it’s hard when he goes down that early and it’s only the second game of the season. Nobody thought that would happen, so that happened and it kind of took the energy out of our team.It just took us out of our whole rhythm.”
Seton Hall (2-0) announced Oct. 29 that the NCAA is investigating the program and Willard would be sitting out two games. The school said it was cooperating but didn’t specify what the NCAA was investigating.
Willard sat out one exhibition game as well as a season-opening 105-71 victory over Wagner.
“Actually, watching on TV last was much easier than this,” Willard quipped. “It was hard. The hardest thing was not being able to communicate with the guys you know they shut you down and you have no communication, you’re not allowed to do anything…I still did practices, but for 24 hours I was dark, and it’s hard because you want to text your guys, your players, your staff, and that was the hardest part.”
Stony Brook (0-2) led 33-31 at halftime.
The two teams would trade leads in the second half until Gill gave Seton Hall a 44-42 advantage. Gill also gave the Pirates their first double-digit lead of the game at 62-51 with 4:17 left on a putback dunk following a missed layup by McKnight.
“We always know what Myles can do,” Mamukelashvili said. “I feel like in this game we saw how much we can affect the team and how much other players can do to help us, rotate. It was amazing. Of course, I’m upset for
Myles. I want him to back for the Michigan State game because without him, we’re not as strong.”
Foreman led the way for Stony Brook with 16 points. Oaniyi added 14 points.
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No. 12 Florida State 70, LSU 62.: Nicki Ekhomu scored 21 points, Sammie Puisis added 16, including four free throws in the last half minute and FSU closed with an 8-0 run to defeat host LSU.
Khayla Pointer, who led LSU with 22 points, hit a jumper and a three-pointer, and Ayana Mitchell scored inside to tie the game at 62 with 3:33 to play. But from there the Tigers (1-1) missed their last six shots and had a turnover.
Nausia Woolfolk, who also scored 16 points for the Seminoles (2-0), ended a near 4-minute scoring drought with a basket in the lane with 1:19 to play. That was the last field goal of the game.
Ekhomu made two free throws with 39.8 seconds left to make it 66-62, and Puisis pushed the lead to six at 26.8 seconds. LSU’s Jaelyn Richard-Harris was fouled on a three-point attempt with 20 seconds to play but missed all three free throws. Puisis then iced the game, her final free throws providing the biggest lead of the game for either team.
FSU shot 45%, made six 3-pointers, was plus-10 rebounding and went 14 of 16 from the foul line but committed 17 turnovers. Puisis made all four of her shots, all from behind the arc, and her four free throws.