Seton Hall showed plenty of grit defensively through its first four games of the season. In its fifth game, the trait also appeared on the offensive side.
After opening the Charleston Classic in South Carolina with a thrilling overtime victory over Virginia Commonwealth, the Pirates (3-2) will face a quick turnaround when they meet Vanderbilt (5-0) on Friday.
The Pirates will play their first opponent from a power conference after rallying from an eight-point deficit in the second half to earn a 69-66 win on Thursday.
Held under 60 points in their first four games against mid-majors in the New York/New Jersey area, Seton Hall produced its best offensive showing of the season on Thursday. Leading scorer Chaunce Jenkins scored all of his season-best 22 points after halftime.
Jenkins was 6 of 10 from the field in the final 25 minutes after taking just two shots due to foul trouble in the first half. He made the go-ahead basket with 2:21 remaining in overtime off an inbounds play.
“The guys fought, man,” Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway said after his team earned a potential Quad 1 win by beating the Atlantic 10 preseason favorite. “Super proud of these guys. They clawed, they scratched, they made plays when we had to make plays.”
Isaiah Coleman added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Pirates, who shot 41.8 percent from the floor. David Tubek hit all three of his 3-point tries, and Seton Hall went 7 of 12 from deep and is 15 of 30 from behind the arc in its past two games.
Like VCU, Vanderbilt represents another potent offense to challenge Seton Hall’s stingy defense. The Commodores averaged 91.5 points in four double-digit victories before posting a 73-71 win over Nevada on Thursday.
After facing a team projected to finish third in the Mountain West Conference, Vanderbilt is seeking its first 6-0 start since beginning the 2007-08 season with 16 straight wins.
“We got a perfect record, but we’re not perfect,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said this week. “We got a lot of things to work on. Our guys know it, and I know it.”
Similar to Seton Hall, the Commodores made plays down the stretch after squandering virtually all of a 12-point lead in the second half. AJ Hoggard scored 18 points for Vanderbilt, which overcame 53.7 percent shooting from the floor by Nevada.
