New York, NY (Sports Network) - Fuquan Edwin knocked down a pair of free
throws with 0.9 seconds remaining in overtime as the Seton Hall Pirates
captured a 46-42 win over the South Florida Bulls in the first round of the
Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
Edwin finished with a game-high 17 points for the 12th-seeded Pirates (15-17),
while Eugene Teague registered a double-double for the squad with 14 points
and a team-best 10 rebounds. With the victory Seton Hall advances to the
second round on Wednesday to take on fifth-seeded Syracuse.
The Bulls (12-19) were paced by Zach LeDay with 13 points, a game-high 15
rebounds, five blocked shots and three steals, followed by Victor Rudd with 11
points for the 13th seed in the tourney. Anthony Collins posted just four
points on 2-of-12 shooting from the floor, but was still an integral part of
the action with nine assists.
Both teams had trouble finding the basket in the first half as Seton Hall
converted 36.8 percent from the floor and USF just 33.3 percent, yet it was
the latter that held a slim 20-17 advantage at the break.
In the second half the Bulls completely fell apart, connecting on a grand
total of just five field goals (5-of-28), including 2-of-11 beyond the arc.
The Pirates put together an 8-0 late in order to erase their deficit and
send the meeting into overtime knotted at 37-37. South Florida had a chance to
win the game in regulation, but had a layup blocked, an open jumper miss the
mark and a tip-in at the rim come up short all in the final seconds.
In addition to converting a layup in the final minute of the bonus frame,
Edwin sank a couple at the charity stripe within the final second in order to
seal the win for the Pirates.
South Florida, which shot an abysmal 24.2 percent from the field, including 5-
of-26 (.192) on the perimeter, held a 47-33 advantage on the glass and logged
27 offensive rebounds in the setback.
GAME NOTES:
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