Call It November-Madness As Spartans Take Down Seton Hall 76-73

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — No. 3 Michigan State and No. 12 Seton Hall put on a mid-November show worthy of March Madness.

It was showdown of two of college basketball's best teams and a showcase of two of the nation's marquee players.

 

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 14: Seton Hall Pirates fans and cheer staff pose during a free throw against the Michigan State Spartans at Prudential Center on November 14, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

 

Of course, the eventual hero was a freshman who had failed to score a point in his first two games. That's college basketball, though.

Freshman Malik Hall hit a layup with 26 seconds to play and scored all 17 of his points in the second half as Michigan State overcame a late five-point deficit to Seton Hall 76-73 Thursday night.

 

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 14: Aaron Henry #11 and Malik Hall #25 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrate the win over the Seton Hall Pirates at Prudential Center on November 14, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Seton Hall Pirates 76-73. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

 

"For a November 14 college basketball game, the atmosphere was great," Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said. "It was two high-level teams, with high level players going at it, it was a lot of fun."

Both Willard and Tom Izzo of Michigan State are going to like what they saw from their preseason All-Americas fighting adversity. Myles Powell of Seton Hall (2-1) had a high ankle sprain and Cassius Winston of Michigan State (2-1) played his second game following the tragic death of his brother, Zachary, last weekend.

 

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 14: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates his three point shot in the second half against the Seton Hall Pirates at Prudential Center on November 14, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Seton Hall Pirates 76-73. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

 

Winston scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half for the Spartans (2-1). Powell scored 37 points in a game most felt he would miss.

"I don't know who could guard Powell," Izzo said. "He just did an incredible job. He deserves every accolade he gets, but I'll tell you what, Cassius Winston does too. It might not seem like it tonight, but to play with a broken heart he has, and to play with the mental part of the game that he's been through, I think we saw two superstar guards tonight, but in different ways."

 

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 14: Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates takes a shot as Gabe Brown #44 of the Michigan State Spartans defends at Prudential Center on November 14, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Seton Hall Pirates 76-73. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

 

Winston made two free throws with 3.4 seconds to play to give Michigan State its final three-point lead. The Spartans then saw a desperation half-court heave by Powell bounce off the top of the rim as the final buzzer sounded.

Hall, who didn't score in the Spartans' first two games, made all seven of his shots, including three 3-pointers. His only missed shots were two free throws with 3:39 to play.

"The kid played terrific," Willard said of Hall. "Seven of seven and making the shots he made, that was really game. He's a game changer."

 

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 14: Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates celebrates his three point shot in the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Prudential Center on November 14, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

 

Powell finished 12 of 27 from the field with six rebounds and two assists.

"I don't know if God could have stopped him on some of those shots tonight," Izzo said of Powell.

Trailing 66-62 after Winston hit a 3-pointer with 4:51 to play, Sandro Mamukelashvili hit a 3-pointer to ignite a 9-0 Pirates' run that Powell ended with his fifth and sixth 3-pointers of the game to give Seton Hall a 71-66 lead with 2:41 to play.

Rocket Watts closed the gap to two points with a line-drive 3-pointer from the right wing with 1:44 to go and Winston, who picked up two early fouls, briefly put the Spartans back in front 72-71 with a 3-pointer with 1:02 left.

 

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 14: Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates heads for the net as Xavier Tillman #23 of the Michigan State Spartans defends at Prudential Center on November 14, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Seton Hall Pirates 76-73. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

 

Powell, who played 34 minutes on what his coach described as a high ankle sprain he suffered last weekend, gave The Hall its last lead when he hit two free throws with 43 seconds to go.

Hall's layup put Michigan State ahead 74-73. Mamukelashvili drove the lane and missed a shot on which the officials ignored contact. After Winston missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 14 seconds to go, Powell drove the lane, drew contact and didn't get a call.

 

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 14: Head coach Kevin Willard of the Seton Hall Pirates reacts in the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Prudential Center on November 14, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Seton Hall Pirates 76-73. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

 

Willard felt his players were fouled but insisted the officials called a good game.

Myles Cale added 12 for the Pirates (2-1).

The game drew a crowd of 14,051, and the fans witnessed a contest with 14 lead changes, nine ties and neither team leading by more than seven points.

BIG PICTURE

Michigan State: The superb Spartans should move up in the AP Top 25 with No. 1 Kentucky's loss.

Seton Hall: The Pirates are a definite NCAA Tournament team for the fifth straight season.

UP NEXT

Michigan State: Hosts Charleston Southern on Monday night in an on-campus game in the Maui Invitational.

Seton Hall: At St. Louis on Sunday to face the 3-0 Billikens.

 

© 2019 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.