On the heels of a lockdown defensive performance in its season opener, Seton Hall will face Long Island University on Thursday night in South Orange, N.J.
The Pirates (1-0), with 13 new players on the roster, held Saint Peter’s to 42 points in their opening-night win. Pirates fans have grown accustomed to the team’s priority.
“Having the main focus of defense first and rebounding the ball helped, and it carried throughout the game,” Seton Hall guard Roddie Anderson III told the Asbury Park Press after the 66-42 victory. “It’s got to be the same approach that all Seton Hall teams have: defense first.”
Anderson was the Pirates’ offensive star with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Transfer Terry Copeland Jr. had 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field in 19 minutes.
Pirates coach Shaheen Holloway praised the Pirates after the game. Still, he said, his team needs better play from the guards.
“I don’t care if its middle-school ball, high school ball, college ball, NBA. Guard play is extremely important,” Holloway said. “Right now, I don’t want to say we’re struggling with it, but we got to get better with it. It’s a work in progress; it’s constant work every single day with it. If guys continue to keep buying in, I think we’re going to be OK.”
Long Island (0-1) was one of the darlings of last March, winning the Northeast Conference regular-season and conference tournament titles to earn an automatic NCAA Tournament bid. The Sharks lost in the first round to Arizona.
Coach Rod Strickland’s Long Island team will begin the season with five straight games on the road. The Sharks were downed by Florida Atlantic in their opener 74-60 on Monday. They never led but tied the score at 52 with 9:46 left before FAU went on an 8-0 run to pull away.
Daquan Davis led the Sharks with 16 points.
Like Holloway, Strickland preaches a defensive mindset.
“If we are the toughest team on the court — we have good athletes, great size — if we’re the toughest team and most aggressive team, then we have a chance to win,” Strickland said at NEC Media Week on Oct. 21. “The defensive side of the ball is where we will hang our hat.”