Seton Hall and Florida Atlantic will try to finish otherwise disappointing showings at the Charleston Classic on a positive note when they collide in the tournament’s third-place game Sunday in Charleston, S.C.
Sophomore guard Isaiah Coleman’s career-high 20 points weren’t enough for the Pirates (3-3) in their 76-60 semifinal loss to Vanderbilt on Friday.
“We got beat like a drum,” Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway said during a postgame radio interview. “They were driving the basketball, driving the basketball, driving the basketball. … It’s a tournament, man. If you can’t get ready (on a quick turnaround) and get pumped up for something like this, I don’t know. No excuse.”
Fifth-year guard Chaunce Jenkins matched a career-high with nine rebounds for the Pirates, but there seemed to be no number or statistic that impressed Holloway.
“I’m going to end this conversation because I know I am going to say something that’s not going (to) be good for my players or for me,” Holloway said.
The Owls (4-3) tumbled 75-63 to undefeated Drake in the other semifinal on Friday.
Florida Atlantic led 35-32 early in the second half but gradually fizzled down the stretch and finished the game at a 32-23 disadvantage on the glass.
Leland Walker led the Owls with 14 points and added five assists, while top scorer Kaleb Glenn (13.9 points per game) finished with six points in just 16 minutes off the bench.
First-year coach John Jakus was especially frustrated by his team’s struggles to generate extra possessions on Friday.
“To have four offensive rebounds out of 30 chances, with the seven missed free throws (and) 23 missed shots … that’s just not enough,” he said. “So that’s an issue for us. Having to address that issue in the hotel (while on the road) isn’t great.”
The Owls are still adjusting to Jakus after he took over for Dusty May, the winningest coach in program history (129-69), but Jakus said his team is not making excuses in the season’s early stages.
“We’re not going to run away from anything,” he said. ” … We’re going to get there, just going to take some time.”
–Field Level Media
