Seton Hall University
Caldwell
Pirates Rout Caldwell in Exhibition
11/9/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - A new-look Seton Hall men's basketball team found its stride in the second half of an exhibition game against Caldwell University on Sunday afternoon, outscoring the Cougars by 26 points over the final 20 minutes to record 96-68 victory before sold-out crowd inside Historic Walsh Gymnasium.
Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention honoree Sterling Gibbs (Scotch Plains, N.J.) paced the Pirates with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting while freshman Desi Rodriguez (Bronx, N.Y.) impressed with a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) in 13 minutes off the bench. Fellow newcomer Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) connected on seven of his 10 attempts from the floor to finish with 14 points and seven boards while sophomore Jaren Sina (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) chipped in 14 points and five assists.
Less than one minute into the game, Sina pushed the break, made his way into the lane and found Delgado for a layup that set the tone for the Pirates' first public appearance since March.
While it was a highly anticipated debut for several of The Hall's newcomers, it was the returning backcourt tandem of Sina and Gibbs who combined for 16 of the Pirates' first 20 points. At the 13:14 mark, Gibbs collected a feed from Haralds Karlis (Riga, Latvia) and buried a deep trey from the right wing that extended the Seton Hall lead to eight at 20-12.
Caldwell responded with the next seven points but Preseason BIG EAST Rookie of the Year Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) helped engineer The Hall's answer. The heralded freshman assisted on a layup by Delgado and knocking down a corner trey before leading Stephane Manga (Orleans, France) to the basket in transition for a hoop plus the foul during an 8-0 run.
The Cougars moved out in front briefly but Whitehead fed classmate Ismael Sanogo (Newark, N.J.) for a reverse layup and followed with his second triple of the first half to help send the Pirates to the locker room up, 41-39.
For the game, Whitehead matched Sina with aa team-high five helpers and finished with a well-rounded performance that also included eight points, four rebounds and three steals.
Out of the break, the Pirates asserted their dominance down low - scoring the first 10 points of the second period with five buckets from inside the painted area. Delgado tallied six points during the stretch, displaying the toughness and tenacity that earned him the reputation as one of the top frontcourt additions in the league.
The opening push was part of a larger 31-to-7 surge within the first 10 minutes of the half that was punctuated by an emphatic two-handed flush from Rodriguez that made it 72-48 in favor of The Hall.
Red-shirt freshman Rashed Anthony (Orangeburg, S.C.) kicked it out to Manga for the team's 10th trey of the afternoon with just under one minute remaining, giving The Hall its largest lead of the game at 96-67.
Manga added eight points, three assists and three steals while Anthony recorded a game-high five blocks as part of a Seton Hall effort that featured 15 rejections. Senior Brandon Mobley (Savannah, Ga.) swatted three shots and pulled down nine rebounds to help the Pirates finish with a 48-to-33 advantage on the glass.
After a tight first half, head coach Kevin Willard's squad limited Caldwell to 7-of-24 shooting (29.2 percent) in the second half.
Seton Hall will tip-off the 2014-15 regular season next Sunday, November 16 against defending Atlantic Sun champions Mercer at the Prudential Center. Start-time is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. and the contest will be televised nationally through the FOX Sports Networks with a local telecast shown by the YES Network. A radio broadcast featuring the veteran team of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin can be heard in the area or online via the Pirate Sports Network.
