Myles Powell's record-setting night lifts Seton Hall to Big East semis
Seton Hall guard Myles Powell shoots against Georgetown guard Jamorko Pickett during the first half of a Big East Tournament quarterfinal on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Credit: AP/Julio Cortez
Myles Powell turned in a record-setting first half and Seton Hall led by as many as 28 points before intermission as it rolled to a 73-57 Big East quarterfinal victory over Georgetown before a sellout crowd of 19,812 at the Garden on Thursday night.
Powell had 29 of his 31 points in the first half, eclipsing the record of 27 for a half set by Creighton’s Doug McDermott against DePaul in 2014. He outscored Georgetown (28) by himself.
With the contest lopsided, he let up after the break and finished shy of the Seton Hall tourney record of 34 set by John Leahy in 1995.
“I know this is going to sound crazy, but that’s what I see every day,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said. “I’m actually surprised we don’t see more of it.”
Said Powell, “I was just trying to do whatever I could to get us going so we could get a ‘W.’ ”
Seton Hall (19-12) will face second-seeded and 23rd-ranked Marquette (24-8) in the semifinals on Friday night. The Pirates advanced to the semifinals for the 11th time. They have reached the championship game three times and have won it each time.
Powell scored 12 points in a 27-7 run that put the Pirates up 35-15. His three-pointer with 1:40 left before halftime made it 53-25. Seton Hall led 53-28 at the break and the Hoyas (19-13) never got closer than 14 in the final 20 minutes.
Myles Cale had 14 points and Sandro Mamukelashvili had 12 points for Seton Hall, which split its two regular- season games against Marquette. Freshman Jame Akinjo had 15 for the Hoyas.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
