Buffs extend season, edge Seton Hall in NIT first round
BOULDER – It was only fitting that Ethan Wright came away with the final rebound of the night, as the buzzer sounded and the red light went off behind him.
Wright provided a spark that CU desperately needed on Tuesday night, pouring in a season-high 18 points, collecting five boards and helping the Buffs to a 65-64 win against Seton Hall in the first round of the NIT.
“Great win,” said head coach Tad Boyle postgame. “March victories are hard to come by, whether you’re playing at home in the NIT, neutral floors in the NCAA tournament, or on the road in the NIT. We knew it was going to be a battle.”
The first half went as many may have expected between two gritty, defensive-oriented teams. Both squads struggled to find open looks and had serious trouble getting anything going in the paint.
The Buffs were able to knock down some shots from the outside early on, and got to the free throw line in the first half to generate enough offense to get out to a little bit of a lead, despite some early foul trouble and seven opening half turnovers.
The Pirates, on the other hand, struggled to get anything going early on without star guard Kadary Richmond, who missed the game due to a back injury. Seton Hall finished the first half shooting a dismal 8-for-33 from the floor and just 2-for-11 from three point range.
“I was disappointed in our first half just like I was disappointed in the last three days to prepare,” said Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway. “I was trying everything to get these guys to step up to play. Some guys were disappointed because if you don’t want to play basketball then something’s wrong. I thought it showed in the first half. We didn’t play like us.”
However, Holloway proved last year that he knows how to push the right buttons in March, and he did just that coming out of the half. Seton Hall came out of the intermission with a new sense of urgency, playing with more purpose offensively. They were intentional about their ball movement and getting into the lane, and shots started to fall as a result. Quickly, they had turned their six point halftime deficit into a five point lead.
Playing in front of a small but loud home crowd that had stayed out late into the night, the Buffs weathered the storm and got right back even with the Pirates, as the two teams exchanged blows down the stretch, neither of them wanting their season to end.
“Yeah, we don’t want to stop,” said Wright. “For me and Jalen (Gabbidon), this could have been our last game and I think we played like it, and all the guys are the same way. They want to be playing, it could be their last game of the season and that’s kind of the mindset we have.”
In the final minute, as it usually does this time of year, madness ensued. With the Buffs clinging to a two point lead, a long rebound off of a Tristan da Silva miss was grabbed by Seton Hall guard Femi Odukale. Odukale quickly relayed it up the court to KC Ndefo, who punched home a monster dunk while being fouled. Ndefo calmly knocked down the free throw, giving the Pirates a one point lead.
Fortunately for CU, Boyle had the perfect counterpunch. Out of a timeout, Jalen Gabbidon hit Julian Hammond III on a perfectly timed back cut, giving Hammond an easy layup to reclaim the lead for the Buffs. Then, as they had all night, CU was able to get one final stop, with Wright collecting the rebound and sealing the victory.
“That was just the first option on a play that had two or three options,” Boyle said. “We said we need a score and we need a stop to win this game. We got our score and then we came down and got our stop.”
Wright played a huge role for CU in the win, while da Silva added 15 points. Luke O’Brien scored just eight on the night, but was a monster on the boards, finishing with 14 rebounds. The Buffs stayed hot from the perimeter throughout the contest, knocking down 10 of their 18 three-point attempts.
On the Pirates’ side, the interior players carried them all night, as Ndefo finished off a well-rounded performance with 18 points, six boards, and four assists in the final game of his college career. Starting center Tyrese Samuel was also a force throughout, notching a 16 point, 11 rebound double-double.
Moving forward, the Buffs will remain without J’Vonne Hadley and Javon Ruffin due to injuries, and will also likely still be missing point guard KJ Simpson due to an illness.
“I’m not optimistic on [Simpson’s return], given the tests that came back today,” Boyle said.
The Buffs now move on to the second round of the NIT, where they await their next opponent. They will play on either Saturday or Sunday against the winner of New Mexico and Utah Valley, who are scheduled to play Wednesday night at 8 p.m. If the Lobos win, the Buffs will travel to Albuquerque, but if Utah Valley pulls the upset, they will come to Boulder for the second round matchup.
