Seton Hall University
12-2 (1-0BE)
Creighton
10-3 (0-1BE)
No. 23 Pirates Rally to Down No. 25 Creighton 90-84
12/28/2017 8:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Newark, N.J. – The No. 23 Seton Hall men's basketball team held No. 25 Creighton scoreless over the final 3:32 of the game to complete a 90-84 come-from-behind victory in the BIG EAST opener for both teams Thursday night at Prudential Center in front of a crowd of 9,824.
Seton Hall (12-2, 1-0 BIG EAST), which trailed by as many as 13 points tonight, has now won eight of its last nine games.
The Pirates were once again powered by their senior starters with Desi Rodriguez (Bronx, N.Y.), Khadeen Carrington (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) combining for 59 points.
Rodriguez led the way with 23 points on 9-for-17 shooting from the floor. Carrington finished with 18 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Delgado notched his 10th double-double of the season with 18 points, 14 rebounds and a team-high five assists.
Sophomore Myles Powell (Trenton, N.J.) also scored 17 points, and junior Michael Nzei (Makurdi, Nigeria) pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds.
Turning Point:
With under a minute left before halftime, the Pirates cut a hefty Creighton lead to seven points, but the Bluejays responded with a pair of field goals, the latter a floater by Marcus Foster with one second remaining to send the Bluejays into the break with a 53-42 lead.
After the Creighton advantage grew to 13 points, the Pirates started chipping away. Trailing 63-54, the Pirates went on an 8-0 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Carrington and Powell, to cut the Bluejay lead to only one point with 13:35 left to play. But Creighton again responded in kind, and an 8-1 burst in only 2:07 put them up, 71-63.
Trailing 76-69, the Pirate offense erupted for a 14-2 run to give Seton Hall an 83-78 lead with 5:14 remaining. Not to be outdone, Creighton bounced back with six unanswered points, and a jumper by Foster with 3:32 left gave the Bluejays an 84-83 advantage.
Following the final media timeout, the Pirates defense clamped down. After Carrington put the Pirates back on top with a drive to the basket for a tough layup at 2:05, The Hall forced two big turnovers and held the Bluejays to 0-for-5 from the field in the final 3:08.
PIRATES WIN!! What a game. What a crowd. The Rock was truly "rocking" tonight! HUGE #BIGEASThoops victory! ??????
— Seton Hall MBB (@SetonHallMBB) December 29, 2017
Presented by @LifeStorage #HALLin #PiratePursuit #OnwardSetonia pic.twitter.com/qea2PIJiQF
Inside the Numbers:
- Seton Hall shot 49.2 percent (31-for-63) from the floor, while Creighton fired at 47.9 percent (34-for-71). The Pirates were more efficient from three-point range, shooting 37.5 percent (6-for-16), while the Bluejays shot 20 percent (5-for-25).
- For a second straight game, the Pirates set season-highs in both free throws made and attempted. The Hall shot 68.8 percent (22-for-32) from the line, while Creighton fired at 73.3 percent (11-for-15).
- Seton Hall won the rebounding battle, 42-to-38, and had 12 offensive boards that were turned into 18 second chance points.
- Seton Hall committed one more turnover than Creighton, 13-to-12, but the Pirates took far greater advantage of the extra opportunities. The Hall scored 22 points off turnovers, compared to just nine for Creighton.
- Rodriguez finished with a game-high 23 points on his 9-of-17 shooting. He also had a season-high five steals.
- Delgado posted 18 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, his second such game of at least 15-10-5 this season. He was 7-for-15 from the field and 4-for-6 from the free throw line. It was his 10th double-double of the season and NCAA leading 60th of his career.
- Carrington finished with 18 points, three assists and four rebounds.
- Powell finished with 17 points, thanks largely to going 3-for-5 from three-point range. He was also 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. Powell has now reached double-figures in scoring in 13 of 14 games so far this season.
- Nzei had seven points to go with a career-high 14 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 26 minutes.
- The game featured four ties and seven lead changes.
This one's for D Money! Today was his last day working @prucenter! #HALLin pic.twitter.com/7NY3pBgu9W
— Seton Hall MBB (@SetonHallMBB) December 29, 2017
News & Notes:
- Seton Hall improves to 12-5 all-time against Creighton, and is now 8-3 at home against the Bluejays. Kevin Willard is now 6-4 all-time against Creighton as the Pirates head coach. The Hall's famed senior class consisting of Carrington, Delgado, Rodriguez and Ismael Sanogo (Newark, N.J.) is 6-2 against the Bluejays.
- With 18 points tonight, Carrington became the 18th player in Seton Hall history to reach the 1,500-point milestone for his career. He also surpassed 500 made field goals for his career.
- Tonight's game was the first time a ranked Seton Hall team faced a fellow ranked opponent since Jan. 21, 2001, when then No. 18 Seton Hall defeated No. 8 Syracuse at the Meadowlands. The Pirates are now 8-4 at home all-time when ranked and facing a ranked opponent, including a perfect 5-0 when they are the higher ranked team.
- With the victory, Seton Hall improves to 12-2 for the third time in the last four seasons. The Hall hasn't gotten off to a 13-2 start since the 1992-93 team began its season with wins in 15 of its first 17 games. The Pirates have now won eight of their last nine games.
- The Pirates are now 6-2 in BIG EAST openers under head coach Kevin Willard.
- With 23 points tonight, Rodriguez tied former Pirate Jordan Theodore (2008-12) for 26th place on Seton Hall's all-time scoring list with 1,371 career points.
- The Hall improved to 8-0 when Rodriguez is its leading scorer. Furthermore, the Pirates are 30-9 all-time when he scores 15 or more points.
- With 18 points tonight, Delgado passed former Pirate Brian Laing into 28th place on Seton Hall's all-time scoring list with 1,322 career points.
- The Pirates improved to 152-50 all-time as an AP top-25 team and are 5-1 all-time when ranked at No. 23.
- Seton Hall is now a perfect 7-0 in their "Glory Days White" uniform this season.
- The Hall's victory tonight is its third over an Associated Press ranked team this season, which matches its total from last season. The Pirates had four victories over ranked teams in 2015-16, its most in 10 years. The Hall is 9-5 in its last 14 games against AP ranked foes.
That 1-0 @BIGEASTMBB feeling! ????#PiratePursuit #HALLin pic.twitter.com/rS55FZZqu9
— Seton Hall MBB (@SetonHallMBB) December 29, 2017
Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Sunday when it hosts local BIG EAST rival St. John's at the Prudential Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. The game will be televised on FS1 with Brian Custer and Vin Parise on the call. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will deliver the radio broadcast on WMCA 570, simulcast on XM 201 and the Pirate Sports Network.
