Seton Hall starts slowly before crushing Lincoln (Pa.)

Tyrese Samuel had 16 points and 14 rebounds as Seton Hall pulled away for an 82-55 win over Division II foe Lincoln (Pa.) in South Orange, N.J., on Wednesday.

The Pirates (5-4) snapped a three-game losing streak despite struggling to put away the Lions (5-5) until midway through the second half. Seton Hall held a 46-41 lead with under 13 minutes to go before going on a 23-6 run down the stretch.

Jaquan Sanders began that key push with a 3-pointer, and Al-Amir Dawes knocked down one from long range shortly thereafter. Sanders added another trey with 9:06 to play, giving Seton Hall a 59-45 lead.

The Pirates' Tae Davis and KC Ndefo each threw down a dunk before Sanders' layup extended the margin to 20, and the Pirates cruised from there.

Ndefo amassed 17 points, seven rebounds and six blocks, while Dawes (16 points), Sanders (11) and Davis (10) also scored in double figures for the Pirates.

Korey Williams led Lincoln with 15 points and four steals. Ethan Garita chipped in 10 points for the Lions.

The first half was a tight affair with neither team leading by more than two over the opening nine minutes. Seton Hall eventually went up 26-20, but Lincoln scored eight straight points to go ahead by a bucket with under three minutes left in the half.

The Pirates closed the session with an 8-1 run to head into the locker room holding a 34-29 edge.

Samuel, Davis and Dawes each knocked down a pair of free throws during that run as both teams went cold toward the end of the half. The Lions missed 10 of their final 13 shots, while the Pirates misfired on six of their last seven.

Samuel led all players with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the opening half.

Seton Hall scored the first seven points of the second half to take a 41-29 lead, but Lincoln came right back with seven consecutive points before the hosts finally created some separation down the stretch.