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For the first six games of the college basketball season, Seton Hall center Kelly Whitney was relegated to the role of spectator. Academic difficulties that prevented the sophomore from participating in those contests fueled the fire in Whitney.
``It was hard to simply sit and watch,'' Whitney said. ``It played a little mental game with me. I was upset that I couldn't even go on a big trip to Louisville and I was frustrated that I couldn't do anything to help the team. When I came back, I wanted to come back with a vengeance.''
Monday night, when Seton Hall faced Davidson, Whitney, who became eligible to play Saturday against Ohio State, was sure to make his presence felt.
Whitney scored 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor, mostly all from close range, leading Seton Hall to a 73-50 victory over Davidson. It was the third straight win and fourth in five games for Seton Hall (6-2).
``We're a real tough team with Kelly,'' said junior forward Andre Sweet, who scored a career high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. ``With him down there, it opens up everything for everyone.''
Sweet scored 14
of his points in the first half, while Whitney added 12, as Seton Hall overcame
a sluggish start to take control of the game midway through the first half.
Davidson (4-6) started off strong, jumping out to a 15-7 lead with 11:20 left,
with Conor Grace scoring seven points during the stretch.
But Seton Hall then caught fire, with Sweet and Whitney doing most of the damage, enabling the Pirates to go on an 18-0 run over a 7:10 span to take a 25-15 lead. Sweet scored eight points during the run and Whitney added six. Whitney's turnaround jumper off the glass from 8 feet gave Seton Hall the lead for good at 16-15 with 8:29 remaining in the half. Sweet then made two long jumpers to increase the lead to 22-15, and the Pirates had control.
Seton Hall led, 32-22, at the half, with Sweet and Whitney combining to score 26 of the team's 32 points. Seton Hall limited Davidson to just three field goals in the final 11 minutes of the first half.
``We always find a way to defend,'' said Seton Hall head coach Louis Orr, whose team held Davidson to just 32 percent shooting (18 of 56). ``Our offense can have peaks and valleys, but our defense really grinds things out. That makes the difference.''
The Pirates increased their lead in the second half, with Andre Barrett, the team's leading scorer, finally getting into gear.
Barrett, who had only two points at the half, scored five straight early in the second half to push the Seton Hall lead to 40-26 with 14:50 remaining. Barrett, who entered the game averaging 18.1 points per game, had his streak of consecutive games in double figures snapped at 46, by scoring just seven points. It was the longest such streak in the nation (tied with Drew Schifino of West Virginia).
``It was fun when it was going on,'' Barrett said of the streak. ``It's a great sign that I can have a bad game and we can still win. I'd rather have the win any day.''
After Seton Hall went up 14, Davidson went on an 11-0 run, with Brandon Winters nailing two 3-pointers and Logan Kosmalski adding five points, to cut the lead to 40-37 with 12:38 remaining. Kosmalski's 3-point play capped a sequence where Davidson scored six points on one possession.
Seton Hall countered with a run of its own, with John Allen scoring five points on a jumper and a 3-point play, pushing the lead back to 45-37 with 10:52 left. The run turned out to be 16-1, giving Seton Hall its biggest lead at 56-38 with 7:02 remaining.
J.R. Morris continued his fine play off the bench for Seton Hall, adding 17 points.
Davidson was paced by Kosmalski, who had 14 points. Winters, the son of former NBA star Brian Winters, added 11.