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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Dre Davis made a layup with 16 seconds remaining on Thursday night to complete Seton Hall's important late surge, giving the Pirates a 79-77 win over Indiana State and their first NIT championship since 1953.
Seton Hall (25-12) scored the last nine points in a matchup between two top-seeded teams to erase a 77-70 deficit. Davis ended with 18 points in his hometown of Indianapolis. Al-Amir Dawes led the Pirates with 24 points, and Kadary Richmond contributed 21 points and 13 rebounds in their fifth consecutive victory at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Dawes was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as coach Shaheen Holloway had another successful postseason run in Indianapolis. He guided Saint Peter’s to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 with victories over Kentucky and Murray State two years ago in Gainbridge Fieldhouse — before defeating Purdue in Philadelphia to reach the Elite Eight.
Isaiah Swope scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half to lead the Sycamores (32-7), who fell one win short of claiming their first national postseason title since the 1950 NAIA championship and one win short of the school’s single-season record set by the 1978-79 NCAA Tournament runnerups led by Hall of Famer Larry Bird.
Julian Larry achieved 18 points, a career-high four 3-pointers, and six assists. Jayson Kent and Robbie Avila each scored 13 points.
Indiana State’s enthusiastic home-state crowd, predominantly dressed in the school’s powder blue and alternate royal blue, was prepared to celebrate when Swope’s 3-pointer gave the Sycamores a 77-70 lead with 2:50 remaining.
However, Seton Hall prevented any further scoring, tying the game with Dawes’ 3-pointer with 57 seconds left and taking the lead with Davis’ layup.
Indiana State had three opportunities to win in the last 8.4 seconds, but Swope had two 3-point attempts blocked, and Ryan Conwell's long-range 3-point shot from 35 feet fell short.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness