Seton Hall University
16-13,9-9Big East
Xavier
21-8,13-5Big East
No. 16 Xavier Tops Seton Hall At Prudential Center
2/24/2023 11:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Newark, N.J. - The Seton Hall men's basketball team climbed back from a 19-point halftime deficit to make it an eight-point game early in the second half but No. 16 Xavier proved to be too much as the Musketeers defeated the Pirates, 82-60, Friday evening at a sold out Prudential Center.
In his first game back from an injury suffered on Jan. 28 at Butler, junior Dre Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) led the Pirates (16-13, 9-9 BIG EAST) in scoring and rebounding with 13 points and five rebounds. Freshman Jaquan Sanders (Queens, N.Y.) also came off the bench to score 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field while also dishing out two assists.
How It Happened
Seton Hall came out staunch defensively, holding hot-shooting Xavier to just 10 points through the first eight minutes. Odukale scored four of the Pirates' first seven points but Xavier used a 10-1 run to create separation and take a nine-point lead, 17-8, with 10:40 left in the first half. Dre Davis' first points since coming back from injury cut the deficit to single digits, 21-12, before Xavier outscored The Hall 19-9 to close the first stanza, giving themselves a 40-21 halftime lead.
The Pirates came out firing in the second half, trimming a 19-point deficit to just eight points following back-to-back layups by senior Tyrese Samuel (Montreal, Quebec) and Odukale that closed out a 12-1 run. Despite cutting the lead to single digits, the Musketeers stormed back and countered with a 12-0 run, their largest of the game, that pushed their lead back to 20, 53-33, with 13:16 to go. Seton Hall refused to quit as Sanders scored six of his 11 points in the second half but Xavier's offense powered their way to an 82-60 victory.
Inside The Numbers
- Seton Hall shot just 25 percent from the field in the first half but its clip jumped to 53 percent (14-of-26) in the second half.
- The Pirates forced 14 Xavier turnovers and committed 12 miscues themselves.
- The Hall finished with an even assist to turnover ratio, 12-12.
- The Hall blocked eight shots, including three from Odukale and two from graduate student KC Ndefo (Elmont, N.Y.).
- 35 of Seton Hall's 60 points came off of the bench and it scored 17 points off of 14 Xavier turnovers.
News & Notes
- Xavier now trails the all-time series with the Pirates, 15-12.
- The Pirates drop to 9-5 at Prudential Center this season.
- The Musketeers are just the 12th opponent in Shaheen Holloway's last 40 games as a head coach to score more than 70 points.
- Davis has scored in double figures in 10 of the 19 games he's played in at Seton Hall.
- Sanders matched his career high with 11 points.
- Ndefo now has 366 career blocks, the most of any active power conference player.
Up Next
Seton Hall will play its final home game at Prudential Center on Tuesday when the Pirates welcome Villanova for Senior Night at 8:30 p.m. The game will be televised on FS1 and fans can listen to Dave Popkin and Kim Adams call the action on the Seton Hall Basketball Radio Network that can be heard on the SHU Pirates mobile app, the Varsity network and SiriusXM.
- Seton Hall hosts the Wildcats in one of the top BIG EAST basketball rivalries! The Pirates are looking for their first home win over Villanova since 2019.
- It's Senior Night, and the Pirates will honor their seniors in a pregame ceremony, so be sure to ARRIVE EARLY!
- The first 1,000 Seton Hall students in attendance will receive a free "The Hall" tank top!Â
- Ticket availability in the lower bowl is limited to the secondary market. Currently, primary sales are for the 100 level, sections 109-113.
