Field Level Media
Feb 23, 2022
Tyrese Samuel sparked a 20-2 run with a flashy dunk and Myles Cale hit a key shot with 21 seconds left to lift Seton Hall to a 66-60 victory over Butler on Wednesday night in Newark, N.J.
Jared Rhoden put up 17 points and Samuel scored 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting to help Seton Hall (17-9, 8-8 Big East) get enough separation for its second straight win. Jamir Harris added 10 points and Alexis Yetna scored 10 to go with 10 rebounds.
The Pirates led by as many as 16 points before Butler stormed back with a 13-0 run. After they traded baskets during the final minutes, Cale -- who shot just 2-for-8 on the night -- put Seton Hall ahead 62-58 with a jumper.
Bo Hodges answered with a desperation bucket for Butler with 6.7 seconds left, but the Pirates iced the game on free throws from there.
Hodges led all scorers with 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Bryce Nze had 12 points and 10 boards for Butler (13-16, 6-12), which took its third straight loss and its sixth in the past eight.
The Pirates trailed 38-36 when Samuel slammed home a dunk from the left side of the rim to tie the score. It began an 11-0 spree that featured six points in the paint by Yetna and a Samuel 3-pointer.
Butler managed two free throws before Rhoden answered with a 3 and Harris drained two more for a 56-40 Pirates lead with 6:35 to play.
After going 9:06 between made field goals, the Bulldogs suddenly came to life and turned defense into offense for a 13-0 run. Hodges' easy layup trimmed it to 56-53, and after Rhoden ended the run with two foul shots, Hodges drilled a 3 to make it 58-56 with 1:53 left, setting up a tight finish.
Seton Hall scored the game's first seven points, but Butler ran off eight of its own to give way to a back-and-forth first half. While the Pirates shot poorly from the arc (2 of 14 for the half), the Bulldogs used the 3 to make their move.
Hodges drained 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to put Butler ahead 27-24, and after a Seton Hall timeout, Bryce Golden added a triple for a six-point lead with 3:38 to go.
The Pirates pushed back with five points, and Rhoden ended the half with a 3-pointer and a buzzer-beating baseline shot to forge a 34-34 halftime tie.
--Field Level Media