Seton Hall University
George Washington
MBB Remains Unbeaten with 58-54 Win Over GW
11/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BOX SCORE (.html) | PHOTO GALLERY 
| BOX SCORE (.pdf) 
NEWARK, N.J. - A highly-touted freshmen class came up big down the stretch for the Seton Hall men's basketball team on Saturday; accounting for 13 consecutive points in the final eight minutes as the Pirates edged George Washington, 58-54, at the Prudential Center.
The Hall (5-0) was led to a fifth consecutive victory by Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who delivered perhaps his most well-rounded performance of his young career, registering team-highs of 15 points and five assists to go with six rebounds and two blocks.
Whitehead accounted for the first five points of the pivotal run which began with the contest tied at 43-43. The Brooklyn native knocked down two free throws and answered a game-tying jumper from GW's (3-2) Joe McDonald on the ensuing possession with a 3-pointer that put SHU on top, 48-45 with 6:10 remaining.
George Washington freshman Yuta Watanabe connected from long distance just after the five-minute mark to pull the Colonials level but freshman Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) came up with two consecutive buckets down low as the teams traded blows and went into the final two minutes knotted at 52-52. Delgado finished with his second double-double in five collegiate appearances, tallying 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
With the score tied for the 13th time on the evening, Whitehead pulled up for a jumper that was off the mark, but classmate Desi Rodriguez (Bronx, N.Y.) was there on the weak side to tip it home and put the Pirates on top for good.
Seton Hall struggled to convert from the charity stripe ion the closing moments but Rodriguez managed to hit two between two trips and after Whitehead drew a charge on Kethan Savage with the George Washington junior looking to even the score on the fast break, Sterling Gibbs (Scotch Plains, N.J.) sunk two free throws to account for the final margin.
Gibbs joined Whitehead and Delgado in double figures, following up his virtuoso performance against Illinois State with 11 points and a steal on Saturday. The Scotch Plains native was 6-for-6 from the foul line, extending his consecutive makes streak to 19 after he made all 13 of his attempts in a 40-point effort against the Redbirds.
George Washington opened the second half on a 13-to-5 run to build a 36-30 advantage eight minutes into the period but the Pirates responded with 12 of the next 14; a stretch that was punctuated by six-straight points for senior Brandon Mobley (Savannah, Ga.).
Mobley recorded eight of his 14 points after the break but fouled out with just over two minutes to go.
Whitehead, Gibbs, Delgado and Mobley combined for all 25 of The Hall's points in the first half to help SHU take a two-point edge into the intermission. With the victory, Seton Hall improved to 5-0 when leading at halftime this season and 20-2 since the beginning of the 2013-14 campaign.
Savage led all scorers with 19 points for the Colonials - a team that was picked to finish second in a stacked Atlantic 10 after advancing to the NCAA Tournament a year ago - while Patricio Garino chipped in 10 points and five boards.
In a contest that featured 13 ties and six lead changes, there was little to separate the two squads. Seton Hall and George Washington finished even in made field goals (19), points in the paint (28), points off turnovers (14), second chance points (13) and bench points (8). The teams each struggled to find the range from beyond the arc as well, shooting a combined 2-for-22 (.091) from 3-point range but The Hall made 18 of its 24 free throws while GW shot 14-for-19 (.737) from the stripe.
The Pirates will return to the Prudential Center on Tuesday, December 2 to host reigning Northeast Conference champions Mount Saint Mary's. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. with FOX Sports 2 serving as the home for a live national telecast. The Seton Hall radio team of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the call for 970AM (WNYM) and the Pirate Sports Network on SHUPirates.com.
