Seton Hall University
Michigan
ROAD KILL! The Hall Takes Down No. 4 Michigan in Gavitt Games Thriller
11/16/2021 11:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball
It was the first time Seton Hall and Michigan had met since December 1989. The two teams also had met in April 1989 in the NCAA national championship game, controversially won by the Wolverines.
The win over the Wolverines gives Seton Hall its first-ever win over a top-five AP ranked non-conference team on the road.
How It Happened
Michigan had its largest lead of the game with at 14:41 in the second half but graduate student Alexis Yetna (Paris, France) countered with an offensive rebound and layup that brought the Pirate deficit back to single digits, 45-36.
Michigan led by eight with 7:09 to play but five-straight points by Rhoden cut the deficit to three, 57-54. Following a Michigan turnover, graduate student Myles Cale (Middletown, Del). found Aiken wide open for a three-pointer that knotted up the game at 57-57.
It went back and forth the rest of the way but every time the Wolverines came up with a big shot, the Pirates answered. Michigan hit its third and final three-pointer of the game with 3:41 on the clock that put the Wolverines ahead by three, 60-57, but Rhoden scored on an easy layup on the ensuing possession that made it a one-point affair. With just over two minutes to play, graduate student Ike Obiagu (Abuja, Nigeria), who finished with four blocks, went to the free throw line and made one-of-two to tie up the game again at 60-60.
That was when Aiken took over. The New Jersey product scored six of the Pirates' last seven points, two on a jumper that tied up the game at 62-62 and five at the charity stripe that sealed the road victory.
1989: Hazard Zet Forward
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) November 17, 2021
2021: B1G time road kill ❌#HALLin 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/KZKYZiOeZS
This one tastes a bit sweeter 😏#HALLin 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/QVPW7igLHz
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) November 17, 2021
Inside the Numbers
- 37 of Seton Hall's 65 points were scored by players off the bench.
- Both teams turned the ball over 11 times.
- The Hall finished with a 40 percent field goal percentage and a 30 percent clip from behind the three-point arc.
- The Pirates' biggest lead of the game was three at the 17:57 mark in the first half.
- Rhoden led Seton Hall with 16 points and added five rebounds, two steals and two assists.
- Aiken delivered 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting and 4-of-6 from the free throw line.
- In his homecoming, junior Tray Jackson (Detroit, Mich.) finished with 13 points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the floor and six rebounds.
- This was the first meeting between Seton Hall and Michigan since December 23, 1989 in Las Vegas. Of course, the original matchup came in the 1988-89 NCAA national championship game at the Kingdome in Seattle, where the Wolverines won on a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining.
- Seton Hall is now 3-2 all-time in the Gavitt Tip-Off Games with wins over Michigan, Indiana and Iowa.
- The Pirates are now 3-0 to start the season for the first time since 2017-18.
- This was the program's 10th all-time win over an Associated Press top-five ranked team and first-ever on the road against a non-conference opponent. All of Seton Hall's previous top-five AP wins:
- Nov. 16, 2021 at No. 4 Michigan
- Jan. 15, 2020 at No. 5 Butler
- March 12, 2016 vs. No. 3 Villanova
- March 11, 2016 vs. No. 5 Xavier
- Feb. 28, 2016 vs. No. 5 Xavier
- March 13, 2014 vs. No. 3 Villanova
- Feb. 9, 2004 vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh
- March 19, 2000 vs. No. 5 Temple
- Feb. 7, 2000 at No. 4 Syracuse
- Jan. 3, 1989 vs. No. 5 Georgetown
- The win is also Seton Hall's first victory over a ranked team in the non-conference since Dec. 19, 2019 vs. No. 7 Maryland.
- Head coach Kevin Willard is now 10-5 against the Big Ten in his Seton Hall tenure.
- This is the second straight season that Seton Hall has overcome a double-digit, second-half deficit on the road against a Big Ten team. Last season, the Pirates rallied from down 19 to win at Penn State.
- With eight points on the night, Cale is now 43rd all-time in Seton Hall scoring history at 1,020 points.
- With his four blocks, Obiagu is now tied with Glenn Mosley for No. 8 on Seton Hall's all-time blocks list with 125.
Up Next
Seton Hall will take its talents to Southwest Florida for an appearance in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, taking place at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla. On Monday, Nov. 22, the Pirates will face Ohio State at 6 p.m., and will then play either Cal or Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 24 at either 6 or 8:30 p.m. Both games will be nationally televised on FS1, and Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio call on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on the Pirate Sports Network.
The Pirates are back at home at Prudential Center on Sunday, Nov. 28 against Bethune-Cookman for a noon start. Tickets are available online by going to SetonHallTix.com/SHUvsBC.
