Seton Hall thwarts another Monmouth upset bid

TJ Simpkins scored 14 points and Seton Hall held Monmouth to just four field goals in the second half to rally for a 70-58 nonconference win on Thursday night in Newark, N.J.Seton Hall shot 22.2% from the floor in the first half compared to Monmouth’s 52.2%, which enabled the Hawks to seize a 34-27 halftime lead. The numbers almost perfectly reversed in the second half as the Pirates shot 50% while limiting the Hawks to 20% from the field.A.J. Staton-McCray and Adam Clark added 13 points apiece for the Pirates (4-0). Freshman Stefanos Spartalis led all scorers with 16 for Monmouth (1-2), which tried to beat Seton Hall on its home floor for the second year in a row.After Monmouth spent 20 minutes building its 7-point halftime advantage, the Pirates undid all of the Hawks’ momentum in the first 90 seconds. They went a 7-0 run as Elijah Fisher hit a layup, Mike Williams cashed a 3-pointer and Staton-McCray canned two free throws.Seton Hall took the lead for good on Simpkins’ 3-pointer with 15:41 to go.Dok Muordar had a dunk for the Hawks to cut the deficit to 42-38 with 12:48 left, but Monmouth wouldn’t score again from the field until Jason Rivera-Torres’ 3-pointer with 2:53 to play. By that point, Seton Hall led by 15 and cruised home.Monmouth committed 20 turnovers that included 13 Seton Hall steals. The Pirates also swatted 10 shots, highlighted by seven from Hines.

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