Seton Hall basketball lost a buy game in the worst of ways.
With under 20 seconds left to play, Seton Hall seemed to have the game close to won against Fordham.
Inbounding up by 1, Prince Aligbe found himself with the ball in his hands and a wide-open Dylan Addae-Wusu up the court in front of him. An easy pass to him was sure to lead to either a dunk or a foul which would put the 5th year senior at the line.
Instead, the pass went through Addae-Wusu’s hands, leading to a final possession for the Rams. With seven seconds left, Jackie Johnson III ran down the clock before driving past Isaiah Coleman and sinking a floater at the buzzer to sink the hearts of Pirate fans, and give Fordham its biggest regular season win in years.
The Rams defeated the Pirates 57-56 at Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange, giving Fordham its first win over a Big East opponent since 2015, and giving Seton Hall its first loss in a buy game since 2013. The loss also is Seton Hall’s first at Walsh in a non-conference game since December 16, 1989, when they lost to the same Fordham Rams.
Takeaway #1: Rams house
For a program which had long lived at the bottom of the Atlantic 10, the win marks one of the program’s biggest wins in years.
The win marks the first for the Rams against a Big East opponent since they knocked off St. John’s in 2015 at the Rose Hill Gym. It’s their first road win against a high-major opponent since 2005, and the first road win against a Big East opponent since 2000.
The result is a sign of the progress the Rams have made under head coach Keith Urgo, who was quick credit his players and staff for the turnaround.
“It’s great for our fans, but it’s mostly about the players and the staff in the locker room that have just been grinding so hard,” Urgo said. “We’ve been doing this since June 1, and to come in here and just continue the process of learning how to trust one another and continuing to get better and trust and build a connection, we feel like we have a great group of guys that if we stay connected, that we have a chance to continue to be the best team we can be by the end of the year and compete with anybody. So it’s huge for our team and our program to validate what we’ve been doing.”
Johnson III did not limit his production to the final play, as he ended the day with 18 points on 7-17 shooting, along with three of the team’s seven 3-pointers.
Takeaway #2: Pirate growing pains
Seton Hall’s offensive struggles in its opening game against Saint Peter’s continued in South Orange on Saturday.
The Pirates shot 41% from the floor but made only four 3-pointers and were 8-16 from the free throw line, to go with the team’s 15 turnovers.
Defensive lapses also plagued the Pirates, and they allowed 19 points off turnovers compared to just 8 for themselves.
“We didn’t lose the game today, we lost it on Wednesday,” head coach Shaheen Holloway said. “We’re not practicing well. We’re not playing well right now. Sometimes you’ve got to lose to win, and I think we’re going to learn from this game.”
Isaiah Coleman made his season debut for the Pirates after missing the opener with a muscle strain. The offense showed promise during his 27 minutes, in which he finished with 7 points.
Yacine Toumi led the Pirates with 12 points on 5-5 shooting, though he fouled out after only 18 minutes. Prince Aligbe added 10 points and 7 rebounds, and Dylan Addae-Wusu finished with 8.
Takeaway #3: Room to grow
With almost an entirely different roster this season, Shaheen Holloway knew coming in that his team would need time to gel.
A challenging opening schedule against a physical Saint Peter’s team and a Fordham team away from their usual home at Prudential Center has made things even more difficult, but Holloway continues to express confidence that the team will find its rhythm this year.
“It’s a long season,” Holloway said. “You watch college basketball this time of year, it happens. A lot of big teams are going down. Shouldn’t happen, but that’s part of it. We have teams that have a lot of new guys trying to fit together. It’s not excuses, though, and we’re going to get better. I guarantee that.”
As for Fordham, the Rams were picked 14th in the A10, but a Big East win coupled with bad losses for other conference rivals such as St. Joseph’s could alter their expectations.
Next game for Seton Hall (1-1): vs. Hofstra (2-0) @ Nassau Coliseum – Nov. 13 at 8 p.m.
Next game for Fordham (1-1): vs. Binghamton (1-2) – Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.