Fuquan Edwin allowed himself to dream.
In two days, Seton Hall had disproved everything everyone knew. With two more days and two more wins, the Pirates would have earned the unlikeliest of NCAA Tournament berths.
“We were looking at the big picture,” Edwin said. “But we knew we had to take one day at a time.”
In one day, the dream was over.
Playing in their first Big East Tournament semifinal in 13 years, the eighth-seeded Pirates finally fell, succumbing to fourth-seeded Providence, 80-74, Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
Seton Hall (17-17), looking for its first title game appearance in 21 years, will now wait to see if it receives an invitation to the NIT. Coach Kevin Willard said after the loss the team would not play in a lower-tier tournament.
“It was a great run. We accomplished a lot more than people thought we would,” said sophomore Sterling Gibbs, whose buzzer-beater stunned top-seeded Villanova on Thursday. “It’s tough coming from such a high and getting ready for a game the next day.’’
No amount of preparation could have helped against LaDontae Henton, who carried Providence (22-11) to the Big East title game for the first time in 20 years, with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Saturday night’s game against Creighton will mark the Friars’ second-ever appearance in the title game.
Providence led nearly the entire game, but saw Seton Hall get within one, 46-45, following a Gibbs 3-pointer with 13:23 remaining. After nearly coughing up a 17-point lead to St. John’s in the quarterfinals, the Friars held strong once again, with Henton hitting back-to-back, backbreaking 3-pointers for a 64-53 lead with 7:13 remaining.
“LaDontae was a man child today, an absolute man child,” Providence coach Ed Cooley said. “He’s just been a rock.”
Seton Hall nearly pulled another elephant out of its hat, with Edwin (20 points, 8-of-18 shooting) converting a 3-pointer and a three-point play to cut the deficit to five with 1:14 remaining.
Following a Brian Oliver 3-pointer, Seton Hall trailed 78-74 and got the ball back with 8.7 seconds remaining after an offensive foul on Bryce Cotton (18 points, 10 assists), but an Edwin drive — likely the last shot of his college career — missed, ending the unthinkable run.
“We just got to give credit when credit is due,” said Edwin, who played through a thumb injury to his shooting hand. “Providence played a great game. Just tough when we couldn’t get over the hump and make some tough shots, but games go like that sometimes.
“I think they hit more big shots than us. That’s what it came down to.”
The Pirates had opened strong, with Eugene Teague’s powerful post play putting the team in front early, but the big man battled foul trouble the entire game and ended up attempting just seven shots. With Seton Hall’s senior center on the bench midway through the first half, the Friars went on a 10-0 run and took a lead it never gave back.
Now, after 20 years, Providence is back in the Big East’s biggest game.
“That was then. This is a new era,” Cooley said. “This is a new Big East.”
With a familiar founding member.