Seton Hall University
Butler
No. 24 Pirates drop road game at Butler
1/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TICKETS TO NEXT HOME GAME - JAN. 31 VS. XAVIER
INDIANAPOLIS - Senior Brandon Mobley (Savannah, Ga.) scored 15 points, and freshman Desi Rodriguez (Bronx, N.Y.) added 12 points, but the No. 24 Seton Hall men's basketball team's succumbed to a 27-3, second-half Butler run as the Bulldogs delivered a 77-57 win over the Pirates Sunday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Seton Hall, which climbed back from a 13-point, first-half deficit to take a three-point lead in the second half, fell to 13-6 overall and 3-4 in BIG EAST. Butler improved to 15-6 overall and 5-3 in the conference, completing a regular season sweep of the Pirates.
After trailing the entire game, the Pirates had a strong first five minutes to the second half, led by Mobley, who first assisted on junior Sterling Gibbs' (Scotch Plains, N.J.) three-pointer after grabbing an offensive rebound. Then Mobley knocked down consecutive three-pointers at 16:54 and 15:42 to put Seton Hall on top, 37-34.
But the Bulldogs immediately responded with a traditional three-point play from Kameron Woods, followed by a Roosevelt Jones layup at 14:32 to put Butler back on top. Meanwhile, the Pirates missed 10 of their next 11 shots, and Butler continued its run by making seven straight field goals. By the time Rodriguez ended the 27-3 run with his layup at 7:45, the Bulldogs had built a 21-point advantage.
The run negated what was also a strong comeback by the Pirates in the first half. After Butler went on a 19-6 run to open the game and lead by 13, Seton Hall responded late to close the gap. Gibbs was a big reason for the comeback, nailing a three-pointer at 4:26 to cut the deficit into single digits. Then he wisely called timeout when becoming trapped by two Butler defenders. After the timeout, he connected on a layup and stole the ball on the ensuing possession from Alex Barlow.
Butler missed five consecutive field goal attempts, and Mobley and Delgado took advantage with three baskets, all assisted by sophomore Jaren Sina (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) to get the Pirates within one, 29-28, before Butler hit a three-pointer to go into halftime up 32-28.
Seton Hall finished the day shooting 36.7 percent from the field and was just 4-for-24 from three-point range. The Pirates only turned the ball over seven times, but their defense only forced five Butler turnovers, as the Bulldogs shot 49.1 percent from the field and 7-for-17 from behind the arc.
Andrew Chrabascz had 16 points to lead five Butler players in double figure scoring.
Seton Hall is back in road action Wednesday when it faces Marquette at the Bradley Center at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on FOX Sports 2, and Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the call on 970 AM The Answer. The Pirates' next home game comes Saturday, Jan. 31 vs. Xavier at Prudential Center. For tickets, click here.
