An early-season upset of Kentucky showed a young and unproven Seton Hall squad what was possible. Now, the Pirates will forever be left wondering what they could have done with another crack at the Wildcats.

Myles Powell will forever be left wondering what he could have done with a few more chances to dance.

Despite fighting back from a 16-point deficit to take a late lead behind Powell’s latest brilliant and determined second-half performance, 10th-seeded Seton Hall was unable to extend its unlikely season, and fell to seventh-seeded Wofford, 84-68, in Thursday’s first round of the NCAA Tournament at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

Powell, the only returning starter from the first Pirates team to win an NCAA Tournament game in 14 years, appeared set to will Seton Hall to another unlikely victory by scoring 23 of his 27 points in the second half, but the star guard received minimal offensive support — no teammate scored in double-figures — and the Terriers closed their first-ever tournament win with a 17-2 run.

Wofford (30-4), which extended its nation-best win streak to 21 games, will face No. 2-seed Kentucky (28-6) in Saturday’s second round, while Seton Hall (20-14) will spend the second weekend of the tournament at home for the 19th straight year.

“These guys have left it on the floor all year long,” coach Kevin Willard said. “I love the way they battled. I couldn’t be more proud of the season we had. … It’s always tough to lose, but that was a good basketball team that played really well.”

Powell’s second-half surge was remarkable, but also necessary because of the hole he helped create. Through the game’s first 15 minutes, Powell was held without a point and constantly bombarded by a barrage of double-teams. An early 12-7 lead was erased by a 22-4 Wofford run, keyed by 18 first-half points off turnovers.

At halftime Powell was 0-for-5 from deep, and the Terriers held a 40-30 lead. When the Trenton native returned, so did the alpha dog who could single-handledly swing the mood of the night.

With a combination of 3-pointers, three-point plays and step-back jumpers, Powell scored 17 of the team’s first 24 points in the second half and put the Pirates in front, 54-53, with an individual 12-0 run. With less than eight minutes remaining, the team picked to finish eighth in the Big East was on pace to be one of the country’s final 32 teams standing.

“We’re fighters,” Powell said. “Our backs have been against the wall the whole year. Coming in everyone doubted us, from the Big East coaches to everybody in the whole wide world. … That just shows how much heart we have.”

Heart was no match for depth.

Though the Pirates only trailed by one with 4:30 remaining, Wofford’s array of marksmen inflicted a series of increasingly painful gut-punch 3-pointers, which put the Terriers up 10 with three minutes to play.

Wofford star guard Fletcher Magee finished with 24 points and seven 3-pointers — setting Division I’s all-time record for career 3-pointers made — with the Terriers hitting 13-of-28 from outside.

“They’re gonna make shots,” Willard said. “They just are.”

But Powell was done. With more than one minute remaining, Willard pulled his star and gave him a hug. The final buzzer sounded and Powell headed toward the tunnel, a towel draped over his head.

He had carried the Pirates deeper than anyone thought. He could only carry them so far.