GREENSBURG, PA. - Nathan Davis and Kealen Coats combined for 39 points in the second half and the Seton Hill University men's basketball team completed the second-half comeback in a thrilling 71-68 victory over the University of Pittsburg - Johnstown Thursday evening in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference action inside the McKenna Center.
// NOTABLES
• Seton Hill improves to 9-16 overall and 7-12 in the PSAC.
• Pitt-Johnstown falls to 14-12 overall and 9-10 in the PSAC.
• The 39 combined points from Davis and Coats outscored the entire Pitt-Johnstown team in the second half, 39-31.
• Coats and Davis scorched the net for a combined 11-for-16 from beyond the arc. Davis finished 7-for-12 while Coats was a perfect 4-for-4.
• Brandon Alston's five assists in the second half tied UPJ's second half assist total.
// LEADERS
• Nathan Davis led the Griffins with a game-high 27 points, 22 of which were scored in the second half. Kealen Coats finished with 17, all of which scored in the second frame. Trevor Blondin scored 11, all of which in the first half. Davis grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
• After falling behind by double-digits throughout the first half, Coach Kendrick Saunders looked to his bench for answers in the second half.
"Sometimes you have to go with your gut," said Saunders. "and those guys that haven't played that much this year have been working hard and getting better all year. That's part of the development of the program...I talked to those guys and told them that their opportunity was going to come, but if you continue to keep working on individual skill development and improving every day at practice, when your time comes it's your opportunity to shine and help the team."
The first year coach was right on the money as Tommy Sekunda, Brandon Alston, Jacob Payne, and Kealen Coats all saw the floor for over 10 minutes of the second half, and were instrumental in the come-from-behind win.
Facing a 12 points deficit, 46-34, with 15:15 on the clock, Seton Hill would finally start to gain momentum. First a three from Davis brought the deficit to nine, 37-46, with 13:44 on the clock, then Coats followed with a three just over a minute later to make it 46-40. UPJ John Paul Kromka made 1-of-2 free throws on the other end, but a jumper from Tommy Sekunda brought the lead to just five, 47-42, with 11:44 to go. UPJ would push the lead out to eight, but Coats' free throws and a three from Davis ended up bringing it back down to five, 52-47, with 10:14 on the clock. A few minutes later it was a Nathan Davis three that cut the lead to just three, 54-51, with 8:39 to go. After a UPJ bucket on the other end, Coats' three on the ensuing possession and a foul shot brought the deficit to just one, 56-55. After a UPJ missed jumper, Coats found a streaking Tommy Sekunda on the other end and Seton Hill took their first lead of the game, 57-56, with 7:20 remaining.
From there it was a back-and-forth affair as the game would feature four more lead changes and two ties. As much as the offense got the attention, it was the defensive effort at the end of the game that sealed the win for Seton Hill. Leading by just one, 69-68, the SHU defense forced UPJ's Josh Wise into a tough jumper that ended up in the hands of Coats as the Griffins held on for the win.
"I thought defensively is where I thought the game started to change," said Saunders. "I thought those guys got down and guarded. Now, we fouled a little bit but that's okay. But, I thought those guys [Sekunda, Alston, Payne, Coats, and Davis] really got after it defensively which I thought changed the game."
// NEXT UP
• Seton Hill takes on California University of Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Feb 27th in their home finale. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM.
// FOLLOW US
Athletics.SetonHill.edu is your one-stop destination for all things SHU Athletics. The men's basketball team can be followed on Twitter (@SetonHillMBB) and Instagram (@SHUGriffins).
