No. 10 Pirates Fall to No. 23 Creighton, 87-82

Wednesday, February 12

Newark, N.J.

6:30 p.m.

Seton Hall University

18-6,10-2Big East

Creighton

19-6,8-4Big East

Creighton

Seton Hall

2/12/2020 8:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score HOME BOX SCORE (PDF)

NEWARK, N.J. – Senior Quincy McKnight (Bridgeport, Conn.) scored a game-high 20 points, but the No. 10 Seton Hall men's basketball team fell to No. 23 Creighton, 87-82, Wednesday night at Prudential Center.

Despite the loss, Seton Hall (18-6) still stands two games up in BIG EAST standings at 10-2.

McKnight was 7-for-14 from the field, 2-for-4 from three and 4-for-4 from the free throw line while also issuing out six assists. Both junior Sandro Mamukelashvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) and senior Romaro Gill (St. Thomas, Jamaica) had 13 points in the setback. Mamukelashvili was 6-for-9 from the field and pulled down six rebounds before fouling out, while Gill was 5-for-7 with seven rebounds and three blocks in 24 minutes.

What Happened:
After a back-and-forth start, a pair of free-throws by McKnight gave The Hall a 27-22 lead with 7:35 left to play in the first half. Creighton however, responded with a 15-2 run over the next 3:40 to take a commanding 37-29 advantage.

The Hall roared back with a 10-2 run, and a pair of made free-throws by Powell with 18 seconds before the break tied the score at 39. Creighton's Marcus Zegarowski scored right before the halftime buzzer to give the Bluejays a 41-39 halftime lead.

The second half remained close with neither team grabbing a lead greater than three points for the first twelve minutes, until Mamukelashvili slammed home an in-bounds pass from Rhoden with 7:54 left in the game to give The Hall a 66-62 lead. Creighton bounced back with a 9-0 run to take a 71-66 lead with 5:29 remaining.

A hook by Gill cut the Pirates deficit to only one point, 75-74, with 1:18 left to play, but Creighton's Denzel Mahoney hit a three-pointer on the Bluejays' next possession and the Pirates never got closer than a two-point deficit the rest of the way.

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 29-for-69 (48.6%) from the floor for the game, while Creighton was 29-for-63 (46.0%). The Hall was 7-for-31 (22.6%) from three-point range, while the Bluejays were 8-for-21 (38.1%).
The Hall out-rebounded Creighton, 39-to-38, which included a 15-to-11 edge in offensive rebounds and a 19-to-13 advantage in second chance points.
Seton Hall was 17-for-20 (85.0%) from the free-throw line, while the Bluejays were 21-for-25 (84.0%).
Seton Hall forced 12 turnovers, while Creighton forced 13. Seton Hall had 13 points off turnovers, compared to 14 for Creighton.
McKnight finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the floor. He also had a team-high six assists.
Mamukelashvili had 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field to go with six rebounds.
Gill finished with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting with seven rebounds and three blocks.
Sophomore Jared Rhoden (Baldwin, N.Y.) had eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

News & Notes:

The loss drops Seton Hall to 18-6 overall and 10-2 in the BIG EAST. It's only the Pirates' second loss in their last 14 games.
Seton Hall falls to 14-7 all-time against Creighton, but the Pirates have still won four of the last six in the series.
The Pirates are now 3-3 against Associated Press ranked teams this season.
With 12 points tonight, senior Myles Powell (Trenton, N.J.) needs only 13 points to pass former Pirate Jeremy Hazell into third place on Seton Hall's all-time scoring list.
With 20 points tonight, McKnight surpassed the 1,500-point mark for his career spanning his time at both Sacred Heart and Seton Hall.
Powell reached double-figures in scoring for the 19^th time this season and the 97^th time of his career.
Seton Hall is now 135-62 (.685) all-time at Prudential Center, including a 63-51 mark against BIG EAST competition.
This is the first time this season that Seton Hall has lost despite out-rebounding its opponent. The Pirates are now 13-1 when winning the battle on the glass.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Saturday, February 15 when it travels to BIG EAST rival Providence. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised 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.