No. 17 Creighton Rallies Late to Edge Pirates, 85-81

Wednesday, January 27

Newark, N.J.

7 p.m.

Seton Hall University

9-7,6-4Big East

Creighton

12-4,8-3Big East

Creighton

Seton Hall

No. 17 Creighton Rallies Late to Edge Pirates, 85-81

1/27/2021 9:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score BOX SCORE (PDF)

NEWARK, N.J. – Senior Bryce Aiken (Randolph, N.J.) scored a season-high 21 points, and Myles Cale (Middletown, Del.) added 20 more, but the Seton Hall men's basketball team dropped a heart-breaker to No. 17 Creighton, 85-81, Wednesday night at Prudential Center.

The Pirates led by as many as 16 points with 11:30 left to play in the second half, but Creighton, behind 29 points from Mitch Ballock, rallied late to win. The Bluejays finished the back-and-forth contest on a 14-2 run.

Aiken scored a team-best 21 points on an efficient 7-for-10 shooting from the floor and grabbed four rebounds in only 18 minutes. Cale tallied 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.

What Happened:
The Hall scored eight unanswered points, capped by a three-pointer from Aiken, to grab a 31-28 advantage late in the first half. Ahead 45-41 with under two minutes to go before the break, Cale connected for trifectas on three consecutive possessions to give the Pirates a commanding 54-41 lead. A buzzer beater by Creighton sent the Bluejays into halftime down 10.

The Pirates led by 10 at the half despite Creighton shooting 10-for-15 from three-point range in the first 20 minutes. Both teams shot better than 50.0% from the field in the opening half, including a blistering 65.5% by The Hall.

The Hall's defense forced Creighton to just 1-for-12 shooting to begin the second half, and a three-pointer by Sandro Mamukelashvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) extended its lead to 63-48 with 15:31 left to play. Aiken made the lead 16, 68-52, with 11:30 to go on a driving layup.

The Bluejays went on a run late, however, and a 14-4 run cut their deficit to just six points, 72-66, with 5:22 remaining in the game. A three-point play by Ike Obiagu (Abuja, Nigeria) and a layup by Mamukelashvili put The Hall up 79-71, but Creighton outscored the Pirates, 14-2, over the final 3:01 to secure the comeback victory. Ballock hit the dagger three with 37.8 seconds remaining to unbreak an 81-81 tie.

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 29-for-59 (49.2%) from the floor for the game, while Creighton was 30-for-64 (46.9%). The Hall was 9-for-25 (36.0%) from three-point range, while the Bluejays were 17-for-35 (48.6%).
The Hall out-rebounded Creighton, 40-to-31, with an edge on the offensive glass, 11-to-9.
Seton Hall was 14-for-18 (77.8%) from the free-throw line, while the Bluejays were 8-for-14 (57.1%).
The Hall committed 12 turnovers, while Creighton had eight.
Aiken scored a team-high 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the floor, including 3-for-5 from three-point range and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Cale had 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the field and was 4-for-7 from downtown. He also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
Junior Jared Rhoden (Baldwin, N.Y.) finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
Mamukelashvili had 11 points, six rebounds and two assists.

News & Notes:

The loss drops Seton Hall to 9-7 overall and 6-4 in BIG EAST play, while Creighton improves to 12-4 overall and 8-3 in conference play.
Seton Hall's 54 first half points are the most in a first half since recording 54 against Sacred Heart in December 2018. It's the most in a first half against a BIG EAST opponent since netting 55 vs. Providence in the 2010 BIG EAST Tournament first round.
Cale reached 20 points for the second time this season and the fifth time in his career. Additionally, it's his 11^th game reaching double-figures this year and the 34^th time of his career.
This is only Seton Hall's 15th loss since the start of the 2015-16 season when leading the game by seven more points. The Pirates are 109-15 (.879) in those situations.
This is only Seton Hall's ninth loss under head coach Kevin Willard when scoring 80 or more points. The Pirates are 81-9 (.900) when scoring 80 for Willard.
This is only the second time in 11 games this season that Seton Hall has lost despite outshooting its opponent.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Saturday, January 30 when it hosts No. 3 Villanova at Prudential Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised nationally on FOX with Tim Brando and Donny Marshall. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will handle radio duties on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on XM 383, the Pirate Sports Network and TuneIn.