Free Throws Come Up Clutch as Pirates Defeat DePaul, 76-68

Saturday, January 9

Chicago, Ill.

2 p.m.

Seton Hall University

9-5,6-2Big East

DePaul

1-3,0-3Big East

Seton Hall

DePaul

Free Throws Come Up Clutch as Pirates Defeat DePaul, 76-68

1/9/2021 5:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score BOX SCORE (PDF)

CHICAGO - The Seton Hall men's basketball team went 14-for-14 from the free throw line in the second half to overcome not making a field goal in the final 8:57 of the game as the Pirates defeated DePaul, 76-68, Saturday at Wintrust Arena for their fourth road win of the season.

Seton Hall, winner of eight of its last 10 games, is now 6-2 in the BIG EAST, matching the 1999-00 Pirates team for second-best eight-game start in program history. Last season's team started 8-0 before going on to win the BIG EAST regular season championship.

Junior Jared Rhoden (Baldwin, N.Y.) led The Hall with 18 points, going 6-for-13 from the field and 6-for-7 at the free throw line. Senior Sandro Mamukelashvili added 15 points and grabbed eight boards. Senior Myles Cale (Middletown, Del.) contributed 11 points, and sophomore Tyrese Samuel (Montreal, Quebec) chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.

The stagnant end to the game overshadowed the fact that the Pirates offense shot 52 percent from the field and had 16 assists on 26 made field goals.

The win was head coach Kevin Willard's 100th BIG EAST win when including conference regular season and tournament wins.

Turning Point
Seton Hall took the lead for good with just under 10 minutes left in the first half on senior Shavar Reynolds Jr.'s three-pointer, and from there the Pirates built a 12-point halftime lead and finished the first half with 10 assists on 16 made baskets.

The Pirates then opened the second half on a 15-6 run to extend their lead to 21. That was fueled by Rhoden, who had six points in the run and connected on a pull-up midrange jumper at 15:01 after DePaul had a shot clock violation on the other end to make it 55-34.

Cale connected on a three-pointer at the 8:57 mark to put The Hall on top, 64-47, but from there the game became a slog. DePaul chipped away at the lead while the Pirates committed some turnovers and were called for charges. The Blue Demons got as close as six, 66-60, with 2:09 remaining on free throws from Javon Freeman-Liberty, but the veteran Pirates did their job at the free throw line, making all 14 of their attempts in the second half, and specifically, all 10 shots after the lead slipped to just six.

Here's all of the 🎥 you need from our sixth BIG EAST win of the season!

🎙 @JLevering4 & @CoachMiles on @FS1 pic.twitter.com/its2POxjHl
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) January 9, 2021

Inside the Numbers

Seton Hall shot 52 percent overall (26-for-50), 24 percent from three (4-for-17) and a sterling 87 percent at the free throw line (20-for-23). DePaul shot 42 percent overall (25-for-60), 31 percent from downtown (4-for-13) and 70 percent at the line (14-for-20).
The Pirates out-rebounded the Blue Demons, 35-30, and used 11 offensive rebounds to generate 13 second chance points.
Points in the paint were even at 38-38.
Seton Hall had 16 assists on 26 made field goals.
Rhoden led the Pirates with 18 points. He was 6-of-13 from the field and 6-of-7 at the line. He also had six rebounds and two assists.
Mamukelashvili poured in 15 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Cale added 11 points.
Samuel had 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds while playing a career-high 26 minutes.
Reynolds, Jr., had seven points and four assists.
Junior Ike Obiagu (Abuja, Nigeria) contributed nine points and four rebounds.
Freeman-Liberty led DePaul with 22 points.

News & Notes

Seton Hall is now 19-8 all-time against DePaul and has won nine of the last 11 meetings.
The Pirates also now have beaten DePaul in five of their last six trips to Chicago.
Seton Hall's 6-2 start to BIG EAST play matches the 1999-00 team for the second-best conference eight-game start in program history. The 2019-20 team last year started 8-0 before going on to win the regular season championship.
The Pirates have now won their last 15 BIG EAST conference games when holding their opponent under 70 points.
Dating back to last season, the Pirates are 10-3 over their last 13 league road games.
Willard now has 100 career BIG EAST regular season plus tournament wins. He is 11th all-time in BIG EAST history in the wins category.
Mamukelashvili moved into 57th all-time in Seton Hall scoring history; he now has 880 career points.
Cale moved up to 63rd all-time and now has 836 career points.

Up Next
Seton Hall will take a breather and return to the court on Saturday, Jan. 16 when it hosts Xavier inside historic Walsh Gymnasium at 3:30 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network, and Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will call the game on the radio via AM970 The Answer, simulcast on XM 390, the Pirate Sports Network and TuneIn.