JERSEY PRIDE! Pirates Down Rutgers for Sixth Straight Win

Sunday, December 12

Newark, N.J.

7:30 p.m.

Seton Hall University

9-1,0-0Big East

Rutgers

5-5,1-1Big Ten

Team	1	2	F
Rutgers	27	36	63
Seton Hall	37	40	77

Seton Hall Raises Garden State Hardwood Classic

JERSEY PRIDE! Pirates Down Rutgers for Sixth Straight Win

12/12/2021 9:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score BOX SCORE (.pdf)

Bryce Aiken wins the Joe Calabrese MVP as The Hall again clams the Garden State Hardwood Classic trophy.

NEWARK, N.J. – Five Pirates scored in double-figures led by Bryce Aiken (Randolph, N.J.), who had a season-high 22 points, and the No. 23 Seton Hall men's basketball team defeated Rutgers, 77-63, on Sunday, reclaiming the Garden State Hardwood Classic trophy.

After a back-and-forth start to the contest, the Pirates assumed control with a game-changing 14-0 run late in the first half and never trailed again. The victory is Seton Hall's sixth straight and improves its record to 9-1, its best start to a season since 2017-18.

Aiken scored 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting and connected on a team-best three trifectas. He also had three assists and three rebounds. For his efforts, Aiken was named the Joe Calabrese Most Valuable Player.

Senior Jared Rhoden (Baldwin, N.Y.) scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half. He also had nine rebounds and a pair of steals. Kadary Richmond (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Myles Cale (Middletown, Del.) and Alexis Yetna (Paris, France) also reached double figures in scoring.

What Happened:
Both Seton Hall and Rutgers started the game with a fierce defensive effort. The perimeter defense forced the teams to combine for only one made three-pointer in their first 10 attempts. With the score tied at 23, the Pirates took off on a massive 14-0 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Richmond and Aiken, to give them a commanding 37-23 lead with 1:08 left to play in the first half. Seton Hall held the Scarlet Knights without a field goal over the final 4:18 of the first half and took a 37-27 lead into the halftime break.

Rutgers cut Seton Hall's lead to six points, 40-34, early in the second half, but then the Pirates took off again. The Hall went on an 11-1 burst, and a free-throw by Cale gave it a 51-35 advantage with 14:50 left to play.

Down 53-37, Rutgers scored 10 unanswered points to cut their deficit to just six points, 53-47, with 12:14 remaining. Still leading by six, Aiken hit a clutch left-handed floater and was fouled. The three-point play bumped The Hall's advantage back to nine with 9:17 to go.

Aiken hit a three-pointer from only a step shy of the mid-court Pirate logo with 3:51 left in the game to put The Hall up, 71-58. From there, the Pirate lead was never reduced to single digits.

Inside the Numbers:

Seton Hall was 27-for-63 (42.9%) from the floor for the game, while Rutgers was 23-for-57 (40.4%). The Hall was 5-for-21 (23.8%) from three-point range, while the Scarlet Knights were 4-for-18 (22.2%).
Seton Hall out-rebounded Rutgers, 38-to-33, which included a slim 12-to-10 edge on the offensive glass.
Seton Hall was 18-for-22 (81.8%) from the free-throw line, while Rutgers was 13-for-17 (76.5%).
Seton Hall had an edge in the turnover battle, forcing 15, compared to 11 for Rutgers.
Aiken had a season-high 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the floor, including 3-for-7 from three-point range. He was also 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, pulled down three rebounds and dished three assists.
Rhoden finished with 16 points to go with nine rebounds and two steals.
Richmond tallied 12 points and three rebounds.
Cale had 10 points and a career-high five steals.
Yetna had 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks in a strong all-around game.
Tyrese Samuel (Montreal, Quebec) finished with seven points and nine rebounds.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall improves to 9-1 on the season, while Rutgers falls to 5-5. It's The Hall's best start since the 2017-18 season when it also began 9-1.
The Pirates are now 41-31 all-time against the Scarlet Knights and has won the last four meetings in the series at the Prudential Center.
The victory is Head Coach Kevin Willard's 213^th at Seton Hall, which moves him past P.J. Carlesimo for second-most in program history.
Tonight's game was the 132^nd in Cale's career, which ties him with former Pirates Khadeen Carrington and Angel Delgado for second-most on Seton Hall's career list. Only Michael Nzei has played more games in a Pirate uniform (135).
Seton Hall is now 8-1 all-time when ranked No. 23 in the Associate Press poll. Furthermore, the Pirates improve to 175-63 when ranked in the Top-25.
Seton Hall's bench outscored its opponent's for the 10^th time this season (every game). The Pirate reserves outscored Rutgers' reserves, 22-to-18, tonight. For the season, The Hall's reserves have outscored their opponent's, 321-136.
The Pirates are now 121-18 (.871) since 2015-16 when its lead gets to seven points at any point in the game.
Rhoden played in his 100^th career game tonight.
The Pirates are now 80-11 (.879) all-time at the Prudential Center against non-conference opponents. They're a perfect 6-0 this season.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action on Saturday, December 18 when it faces local non-conference rival Iona in the Gotham Classic at Madison Square Garden. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. The game will be televised on FS2.