Seton Hall University
19-10 (9-8BE)
Georgetown
14-16 (5-12BE)
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Senior Night a Success as The Hall Beats Georgetown
2/28/2017 10:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Newark, N.J. – Junior Desi Rodriguez (Bronx, N.Y.) scored a game-high 27 points, and junior Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) hit what proved to be the game-winning basket with 1:12 remaining in the game as the Seton Hall men's basketball team played stellar defense in the final two minutes to defeat Georgetown, 62-59, on Senior Night Tuesday at Prudential Center.
Delgado secured his 11th consecutive and nation-leading 24th double-double of the season with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 13 rebounds. He pulled down his 1,000th career rebound, and he became the BIG EAST's all-time leader in single-season rebounds (232 total). Rodriguez was stellar in the first half for the Pirates (19-10, 9-8 BIG EAST), going 7-for-10 from the field for 17 points. Junior Khadeen Carrington (Brooklyn, N.Y.) totaled eight points, three assists, three steals, and hit a crucial pair of free throws in the final minute.
With the victory, The Hall, winner of six of its last eight games, is assured of a .500 or better record in the BIG EAST for a second straight season for the first time since back-to-back 10-6 records in 2003 and 2004. The Pirates are also now assured of finishing no lower than seventh in the BIG EAST.
For Georgetown (14-16, 5-12 BIG EAST), L.J. Peak scored a team-high 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
Turning Point
After taking a 38-30 lead into halftime, led by Rodriguez's 17 points, the Pirates came out flat to start the second half, making just two of their first 10 shots while Georgetown went on a 14-6 run to tie the score at 44-44. The Hoyas then took a 48-47 lead at 12:28 with a Jagan Mosely jumper and improved the advantage to five, 54-49, on a Bradley Hayes layup at 8:44.
The Hoyas led 59-56 with 2:28 to go, but with only a few seconds remaining on the shot clock, Rodriguez took a long three-point attempt and was fouled. He hit two of three free throws to cut it to one with 1:53 left. On the ensuing possession, senior Madison Jones (Raleigh, N.C.) played chest-to-chest defense with Peak, who stumbled. Sophomore Michael Nzei (Makurdi, Nigeria) dove to create a loose ball and came up with the steal. The Pirates then got the ball to Delgado, who made a power move with his back to the basket and converted the close-range layup to put The Hall on top, 60-59, with 1:10 to play.
It was back to defense, and it was back to Jones who anticipated a paint pass to Peak and stepped in front of it to create a loose ball that eventually found Delgado's hands. Carrington then worked the shot clock down and missed a jumper, but made an incredible offensive rebound before being fouled. He then drilled both free throws and the Pirates forced an off-balance Georgetown attempt to tie the game as time expired.
Inside the Numbers
- The Hall held a 37-28 advantage on the glass and pulled down 19 offensive boards. It has out-rebounded opponents in 22 of 29 games. Delgado, the nation's leading rebounder (13.0 per game) and offensive rebounder (4.7 per game), again was a crucial factor in the paint and grabbed 13 more rebounds Tuesday including six on the offensive end.
- With his eighth rebound Tuesday night, Delgado reached 232 in BIG EAST play this season to become the conference's all-time single-season leading rebounder, passing Luke Harangody (Notre Dame, 2008-09).
- Delgado's 13 boards Tuesday night gives him exactly 1,000 for his career. He is just the fifth player in program history to reach 1,000 career rebounds, as well as the combination of 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, the first since Glenn Mosley (1973-77).
- The Pirates outscored the Hoyas, 42-34, in the paint and scored 19 points off 15 Georgetown turnovers.
- The Hall recorded 10 assists and had just nine turnovers. It was the fourth time this season the Pirates had single digit turnovers and second time in the last three games.
- Although the Pirates did not shoot it well from beyond the arc (3-for-18), Rodriguez was the lone bright spot from deep as he finished 3-for-6, and has now made a three-pointer in 17 consecutive games. He is now averaging a team-best 17.1 points per game during conference play and has shot 41.7 percent from long range over the 17 league games.
News & Notes
- Prior to tip, Seton Hall honored its two seniors, Michael Dowdy Jr. (Chicago, Ill) and Jones.
- Delgado passed one of the all-time greats, Patrick Ewing (Georgetown, 1981-85), on the BIG EAST career rebounding list, and is now fifth all-time with 598 career boards in conference play.
- Delgado is now 35th on the SHU all-time scoring list (1,077).
- The Hall has won six of its last eight games including three straight. Tuesday night's win ensures the Pirates cannot finish lower than seventh in the league standings.
- SHU has now played in SEVEN conference games decided by three points or fewer in 2016-17, the most in a single season under head coach Kevin Willard. The Pirates are 5-2 in such games and are 7-2 overall in games decided by three points or fewer.
- Although Georgetown holds a 56-47 advantage in the all-time series, SHU has won each of the last four meetings and has completed the second season sweep in a row over the Hoyas. The Pirates are 26-22 all-time at home against Georgetown.
- The Hall wraps up its home slate with a 12-2 record. It is the best home winning percentage (.857) during the Willard era, and the team's 11-2 record at Prudential Center is the best winning percentage (.846) in the history of playing at The Rock.
- The Pirates improve to 13-5 in their last 18 BIG EAST home games including nine of the last 11.
- Since the start of the 2015-16 campaign, SHU is now 15-5 when facing an opponent for the second or third time in the same season.
- The Pirates are now 42-1 over their last 43 games (dating back to the start of the 2015-16 season) when holding at least a seven-point lead at any point of the contest.
Up Next
The Hall travels to Butler for its regular season finale on Saturday at 2:30. The game will be nationally broadcast on FOX with Joe Davis and Len Elmore. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio call on WMCA 570AM, simulcast on the Pirate Sports Network, available on SHUPirates.com and the SHU Pirates Mobile App.
The Pirates will contend for the 2017 BIG EAST Championship next week at Madison Square Garden.
