BY JASON GUERETTE

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Up by between six and 11 points for most of the second half, Seton Hall ended up in a close battle as the minutes turned into seconds against the Kent State Golden Flashes on Wednesday night in Newark. The visitors even ended up taking a one-point lead on a three-pointer by Kris Brewer with 5:05 remaining.

But thanks to some critical plays by sophomore guard Sterling Gibbs and a huge edge in foul shooting, the Hall escaped with a 78-76 win to improve to 2-0 on the young season.

Gibbs led the Pirates for the second straight game with 20 points, 12 of which came in the first half. He also added five rebounds and a six assists, and once again displayed a knack for both getting to the foul line and making his shots, knocking down 12 of 13 free throws.

The Seton Hall Prep product was tasked with handling the ball when the game got close late, something head coach Kevin Willard said he likes.

“He definitely feels comfortable with it,” Willard said of Gibbs having the ball. “I know I feel comfortable with (that). He’s has a really good understanding of what the rules (regarding fouling) are. He’s doing a great job of trying to go at guys’ bodies. He’s playing really well.”

Senior swingman Fuquan Edwin bounced back from a foul-plagued first game against Niagara to score 13 of his 19 points in the first half. He finished 5-of-10 from the field, and made three three-pointers, adding a six-for-nine performance at the foul line.

Junior forward Patrik Auda also had a strong first half, with 10 of his 15 points coming before the break. The Pirates as a whole shot 50% in the first half, holding Kent State to 38% shooting and holding a 42-33 lead at the intermission.

But the Golden Flashes would respond in the second stanza thanks to a 57% clip overall from the field and six three-pointers. Kris Brewer led the charge for Kent State with a game-high 28 points, 15 of which came after halftime.

“That’s a good basketball team,” Willard said. “We knew if we gave up threes, we would struggle. Our second half defense really needs to improve. Their dribble penetration in the second half really hurt.”

“The ball was in our hands,” Gibbs added. “We kind of let it go a little bit because of some rushed shots. We wanted to take time and run some time off the clock, but at the same time attack the basket because that’s where most of our points are coming from- getting to the foul line.”

The Pirates, however, made just enough plays to win the game. After Brewer gave Kent State the lead with his three-pointer with five minutes left, the Pirates kept Kent State from scoring on three consecutive possessions.

They then turned those into a layup for Edwin and two free throws plus a layup for Gibbs that pushed the lead out to five points with just under three minutes to play.

But Brewer scored four consecutive points to get Kent State back within one. After Edwin made two free throws, a three by Darren Goodson of Kent State rimmed out. Gibbs then drew the fifth foul on Brewer at the other end and made two more free throws.

Even that was not enough down the stretch, as KSU’s Devereaux Manley knocked down a three to get the visitors from Ohio within two. But after Seton Hall failed to get the ball inbounds on a five-second violation, Manley missed a corner three that would have given Kent State the lead.

Freshman guard Jaren Sina and senior wing Brian Oliver both split pairs of foul shots around a big KSU turnover for Seton Hall before the Golden Flashes’ Kellon Thomas made a layup and was fouled with two seconds left. But Thomas missed the ensuing free throw, and the Pirates got the rebound and slipped by for the victory.

The Pirates shot 49% for the game, including an 8-20 (40%) showing from three-point range and a 32-for-43 effort (74%) from the foul line. The Hall owned a wide disparity in foul shooting, as Kent State made just 14-of-18 from the charity stripe. Seton Hall also out-rebounded their opponents 36 to 22, getting the win despite KSU shooting 18 more shots from the field, and making eight more field goals than the Pirates did in the contest.

Now, at 2-0, Seton Hall will head out on the road for the first time this season to play a game against Mercer, a team that took the Pirates to overtime two seasons ago in Newark. Edwin, one of the four seniors on the roster, thinks that the game will help the Pirates in the tough road environment.

“I think this game showed us how we have to put teams away,” Edwin remarked after the game. “We can’t let them stick around and then (have) them punch us. I think this game is definitely a lesson, and if we were to get up 10 against Mercer, we would know to put them away.”

The Pirates tip off against Mercer on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. in Macon, Ga. After that, they return home to Newark for a quick turnaround game against Monmouth on Monday night. That game is set for 8:00 p.m. at the Prudential Center.