Carrington Shines in Overtime Game vs. Villanova

Wednesday, February 28

Newark, N.J.

8:30 p.m.

Seton Hall University

20-10 (9-8BE)

Villanova

26-4 (13-4BE)

OT 1

Villanova

Seton Hall

2/28/2018 11:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score BOX (PDF)

NEWARK, N.J. - Senior Khadeen Carrington (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored 23 points, issued seven assists and grabbed seven rebounds, and the Seton Hall men's basketball team battled No. 4 Villanova down to the bitter end as the Wildcats edged the Pirates in overtime, 69-68, in a wild late Wednesday night game at Prudential Center in front of 13,711.

Seton Hall (20-10, 9-8 BIG EAST) played a defensive duel with Villanova (26-4, 13-4 BIG EAST), as neither team shot over 40 percent and both struggled mightily from long distance.

Carrington finished the game 7-of-19 shooting overall and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. The only other Pirates double-digit scorer was sophomore Myles Powell (Trenton, N.J.), who delivered 13 points and tied his career high with six assists.

Turning Point
This was a defensive grindfest as neither team got any offensive rhythm going. Carrington and junior Michael Nzei (Makurdi, Nigeria) came up big late in the second half after falling behind by five points with 6:08 to play. Carrington found Nzei for a dunk with 2:44 left to put The Hall up one, which was quickly answered by Jalen Brunson hitting a paint jumper. Then Powell found Nzei again for a layup underneath to reclaim the lead, 49-48, with 1:21 left.

Brunson immediately hit a jumper to give Villanova the edge again, and Mikal Bridges came up with a steal and layup to put the Wildcats up three. Carrington though drew a foul, sank both free throws to close within one, and the Pirates then fouled to send Brunson to the line. The front end of the 1-on-1 was missed, and Carrington then drove to the basket and drew a foul to send himself to the line down only one with 11 seconds to go. Carrington missed the first, but made the second to tie the game. Donte DiVincenzo's game-winning three attempt missed the mark, sending the game to overtime.

Villanova found its shooting stroke in overtime, hitting back-to-back threes to build a five-point lead that ultimately grew to seven with only 25 seconds remaining. But that's when things got wonky. Sophomore Eron Gordon (Indianapolis, Ind.) hit an off-balance three-pointer to close within four, then the Pirates forced Villanova into a five-second in-bound violation. Powell then hit a huge layup and drew a foul to put the Pirates within two, but he missed the "and one" free throw, and the Pirates were forced to foul. Villanova made one of two, and Carrington then opted to go for a two-point dunk to make it a one-point game, 67-66, with six seconds remaining. The Pirates were whistled for a foul on the in-bound, and Brunson swished two free throws to go up 69-66. Carrington then made one last ditch effort, but before he could get a three-point attempt off, he was fouled with one second on the clock. The call was on the floor, and Carrington went to the line for two shots. He made the first, and it appeared he was trying to miss the second so that the Pirates could go for an offensive rebound, but his shot actually went in to make it 69-68. Villanova was able to in-bound the ball successfully, and the final second ran off the clock to give the Wildcats victory.

Inside the Numbers

Seton Hall ended up outshooting Villanova in this game, which didn't seem possible after the Pirates were 6-for-29 (20.7 percent) in the first half. The Pirates finished 25-for-65 (38.5 percent) overall, 5-for-25 from three (20 percent) and 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) at the foul line. Villanova finished 24-for-66 (36.4 percent), 8-for-36 from behind the arc (22.2 percent) and 13-for-16 at the charity stripe (81.3 percent).
Seton Hall out-rebounded Villanova, 43-41, and outscored the Wildcats in the paint, 34-26.
The Pirates had 15 assists on their 25 field goals made and only turned the ball over 12 times.
Carrington finished with 23 points on 7-of-19 shooting overall and 9-of-10 at the free throw line. He also had seven assists against just one turnover and grabbed seven rebounds. It was his third straight 20-point game, seventh of the season and 25th of his career.
Powell had 13 points and matched his career high in assists with six, which he had just set in the last game at St. John's.
Nzei finished with six points, six rebounds, a block and a steal in a great effort.
This game featured six ties and seven lead changes.

News & Notes

The Pirates fell to 41-74 all-time against Villanova and have now dropped five straight meetings.
This was the second straight overtime game for the Pirates, and this was seventh time in history that Seton Hall and Villanova went to overtime. Villanova leads 4-3 after this win.
Prior to this game, Seton Hall had not lost in overtime since Jan. 13, 2015 at home against Butler. The Pirates had won four straight in overtime.
Senior Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) surpassed 1,400 career rebounds after grabbing eight in this game (1,404). He also grabbed his 500th career offensive rebound.

The Scenario
With one game remaining in the BIG EAST schedule, here is an unofficial look at what conference tournament seed the Pirates can get (the conference will release official scenarios later):

3 Seed: Seton Hall Win + Marquette Win + Providence Win
4 Seed: Seton Hall Win + Creighton Win OR Seton Hall Win + Marquette Win + St. John's Win
5 Seed: Seton Hall Loss + Creighton Win + St. John's Win
6 Seed: Seton Hall Loss + Marquette Win + St. John's Win
7 Seed: Seton Hall Loss + Marquette Win + Providence Win

Up Next
The Pirates close out the regular season Saturday night when they host Butler at Prudential Center at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz and Jordan Cornette. The dynamic duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio call on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on Sirius 108, XM 201 and the Pirate Sports Network.

Saturday is Senior Day, and all fans in attendance will receive a rally towel with the four seniors in animated form, and the first 1,000 students will receive a t-shirt with the same senior animation. The Senior Day ceremony will take place pregame, and fans are asked to take their seats by 7:30 p.m. Limited tickets are still available, and more information can be found at SHUSeniorDay.com.