Rhoden, Pirates Down Iona for First Win

Monday, November 30

Newark, N.J.

9 p.m.

Seton Hall University

1-1,0-0Big East

Iona

0-1,0-0MAAC

Iona

Seton Hall

11/30/2020 11:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score BOX SCORE (PDF)

NEWARK, N.J. – Junior Jared Rhoden (Baldwin, N.Y.) erupted for a career-high 26 points as the Seton Hall men's basketball team used a big second half to down Iona, 86-64, at the Prudential Center on Monday for its first victory of the 2020-21 season.

Rhoden was one of four Pirates to score in double-figures. He scored 26 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the floor, including 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. Rhoden also added a team-game high 10 rebounds to go with three steals. Senior Sandro Mamukelashvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) finished with 18 points, while classmate Myles Cale (Wilmington, Del.) had 15. Tyrese Samuel (Montreal, Quebec) added 12 points.

Junior Shavar Reynolds, Jr. (Manchester, N.J.) matched a career-high with 29 minutes and dished out a career-best eight assists to go with a new career-high of five steals.

Seton Hall trailed by two at halftime, but outscored the Gaels, 51-27, in the second half, holding them to just 29.0% shooting.

What Happened:
With the score tied at 13, Seton Hall went on a 9-0 run to assume control early. The last seven points of the burst were all scored by Samuel, and his fast-break jumper with 9:39 to go in the first half put the Pirates up, 21-13. Iona responded with a 12-1 spurt of their own to take a 25-23 advantage, their first lead of the game.

A layup by Mamukelashvili put The Hall back on top, 27-25, but the Gaels went on a 10-1 run to grab a commanding 37-28 with only 2:14 to go before the break. The Pirates however, closed the first half with seven unanswered points to enter halftime down, 37-35.

Iona shot 65.2% from the floor in the first half and was 7-for-10 from three-point range.

The second half was a different story. Trailing 45-44 with 15:23 remaining, The Hall went on a 19-2 run, highlighted by a fast-break alley-oop from Takal Molson (Buffalo, N.Y.) to Mamukelashvili which prompted an Iona timeout. A jumper by Cale capped the Pirates burst and put them on top, 63-47, with 10:16 left in the game.

Seton Hall never led by fewer than 14 points the rest of the way.

All of the 🎥 you need from last night's win over the Gaels.

Up Next ➡ at Rhode Island tomorrow evening#HALLin 🔵⚪ pic.twitter.com/n6ym4qMbX4
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 1, 2020

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 32-for-58 (55.2%) from the floor for the game, while Iona was 24-for-54 (44.4%). The Hall was 7-for-22 (31.8%) from three-point range, while the Gaels were 9-for-20 (45.0%).
The Hall out-rebounded Iona, 35-to-27, which included a 14-to-10 edge in offensive rebounds and a 11-to-9 edge in second chance points.
Seton Hall was 15-for-23 (65.2%) from the free-throw line, while the Gaels were 7-for-9 (77.8%).
Seton Hall forced 22 turnovers, while Iona forced 15. Seton Hall had 34 points off turnovers, compared to 16 for Iona.
Rhoden scored 26 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the floor, 3-for-6 from three-point range and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. He also had 10 rebounds and three steals.
Reynolds had career-highs of eight assists and five steals, while matching his career-high with 29 minutes played.
Mamukelashvili finished with 18 points and seven rebounds.
Cale had 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting with five rebounds and two steals.
Samuel had 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the floor.

News & Notes:

The victory improves Seton Hall to 1-1 overall, while Iona drops its season-opener, falling to 0-1.
Seton Hall improves to 30-9 all-time against Iona. It was the first time the programs had met since Dec. 31, 2005, a 73-59 Pirate victory.
Tonight's victory is Head Coach Kevin Willard's 191^st at Seton Hall. He moves into a tie with former coach Frank Hill for third place in program history. Only Honey Russell (294) and P.J. Carlesimo (212) have won more.
Mamukelashvili reached double-figures in scoring for the second time this season and the 51^st time in his career.
With 26 points and 10 rebounds, Rhoden notched his third career double-double. He also surpassed the 400-point mark for his career.
Seton Hall is now 138-63 (.687) all-time at the Prudential Center, which includes a 73-11 (.869) mark against non-conference competition.
Freshmen Dimingus Stevens (Washington, D.C.) and Sylwester Granda (Brooklyn, N.Y.) made their collegiate debuts.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Wednesday, December 2 when it travels to Kingston, R.I. for a contest at Atlantic 10 rival Rhode Island. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network, while Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will call it on the radio on AM 970 The Answer, simulcast on the Pirate Sports Network.