Seton Hall blows 19-point lead in 71-69 loss to Oregon

myes powell

Seton Hall's Myles Powell brings the ball down the court during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Saint Louis Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)AP

Seton Hall already missed out on a chance for one signature win this month when they lost a heartbreaker to No. 3 Michigan State at Prudential Center.

Entering the Battle 4 Atlantis, the Pirates had at least one more golden opportunity for a win against a top-ranked team when they squared off against No. 11 Oregon.

But after squandering a 19-point second-half lead and 32 points from All-America guard Myles Powell, the Pirates came away with a gut-wrenching 71-69 loss in the Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

No signature win.

And no chance to face No. 8 Gonzaga on a short turnaround on Thursday.

Instead, Seton Hall (4-2) will try to tread water against Southern Miss at 9 p.m. (ESPN2) on Thanksgiving night and can’t afford to lose more ground.

“It’s only still November,” Pirates coach Kevin Willard told Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin on AM970 radio. “This team is going to get better. We’ve had opportunities. We have to get better on [protecting] leads and running offense. As we round into form, these games are going to help us later on.”

After missing a desperation halfcourt attempt at the buzzer, Powell was carried off the court by his teammates but a Seton Hall spokesman said he was just cramping.

“MP left it all out there like he always does, but someone else has to step up,” Willard said. “That’s where we have to get better. You can ride him as much as you want but someone has to make a play toward the end. Their small lineup really hurt us.”

For much of the second half, Powell and the Pirates were in complete control. Oregon’s Lok Wur appeared to give Powell motivation to dominate when he used his right foot to trip Powell late in the first half after Powell shot a 3-pointer in front of the Oregon bench.

On Thursday, Wur asked for forgiveness in a statement: “I want to apologize to Myles Powell and the Seton Hall team for my actions on the bench Wednesday night. I acted in an unsportsmanlike manner. I am truly sorry for that and regret my actions.”

Powell responded with 22 of his game-high 32 points in the second half. At one stretch, he made six straight 3-pointers. The preseason All-America guard and Big East Preseason Player of the Year moved into the Top 10 on Seton Hall’s all-time scoring list with the performance. It was his 11th career 30-point game.

But after a Powell 3-pointer put the Pirates up 49-30, Oregon closed the game on a 41-20, dealing Seton Hall a heart-breaking loss.

Instead of playing in the semifinals against the Zags, the Pirates are headed to the consolation bracket.

Michigan faces No. 6 North Carolina in the first semifinal at 1:30, while Oregon meets Gonzaga in the second semifinal at 4 p.m. Both games are on ESPN.

Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media.

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