Career Night From Aligbe Powers Pirates Past NJIT - Seton Hall University Athletics
With a career-high scoring night from Prince Aligbe , the Seton Hall men's basketball team defeated NJIT, 67-56, in a wire-to-wire victory at The Rock.
NEWARK, N.J. — With a career-high scoring night from Prince Aligbe, the Seton Hall men's basketball team defeated NJIT, 67-56, in a wire-to-wire victory at The Rock.
Prince Aligbe recorded a career-high 19 points (9-of-12 from the field) for the Pirates (5-4), while Dylan Addae-Wusu and Garwey Dual also recorded season highs. The Highlanders (1-9) only had one double-digit scorer (Tariq Francis with 23), while Pirates recorded their first game of the season with three double-digit scorers.
How It Happened
In the opening stanza of the clash against the Highlanders, the Pirates produced their best offensive start of the season. Through the first five minutes, the Pirates sailed out to a 16-5 advantage on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, while also simultaneously holding NJIT to 2-6 shooting with two turnovers. At the helm of this strong Pirates start was the duo of Prince Aligbe and Garwey Dual. Aligbe's quick five points during that span was only surpassed by Dual, who matched his season high in points with six with 15:45 remaining in the opening frame.
The Pirates would grow their lead to 21-8 before NJIT would respond with their own run, in turn reducing the Pirates lead to 23-15 with 10:15 left on the clock. In the response to the opposition's aggression, the Pirates would stifle the Highlanders' run with the help of a familiar face. After a one-game absence, Dylan Addae-Wusu rejoined the Pirates off the bench, marshaling a 10-3 Pirates run, of which he contributed five points, to expand The Hall's lead back to 33-18 with 5:14 remaining in the half. The Pirates would enter halftime up 35-31, however, due to NJIT ending the half shooting 4-of-5 from the field across the final five minutes.
After the Highlanders reduced the Pirates lead to two in the opening thirty seconds of the half, the Pirates responded by reasserting themselves. In his first start for the Pirates, Emmanuel Okorafor would add three points to his tally on the night as The Hall's lead grew to 41-34 with 15:36 remaining in the game.
As the half progressed the Pirates' lead bounced between three-to-six points as both sides exchanged baskets, misses and foul shots. The Hall's margin would dwindle to two after Tariq Francis scored a three with 10:04 left on the clock, giving the Pirates a 47-45 lead. With pressure mounting, Isaiah Coleman and Dylan Addae-Wusu would push the Pirates back into position to secure victory. The duo each contributed five points as the The Hall's lead expanded to 61-50 with 4:35 remaining in this Essex County clash.
In the waning minutes of the game, the Pirates would cement victory with a dominant showcase of holding possession. The Pirates would claim six rebounds and Aligbe would add another four points, registering a new career high in the process, as the Pirates secured victory 67-56 over NJIT.
News & Notes
- This was the 7th meeting between the two programs.
- With the loss, The Hall is now 7-0 all-time against the Highlanders.
- Seton Hall out-rebounded the NJIT 37-to-27.
- The Pirates had 16 bench points to the Highlanders' eight.
- The Hall outscored the NJIT in the paint 40-to-18.
- The Pirates never trailed across the full 40 minutes.
- Emmanuel Okorafor recorded his first start with the Pirates.
- Dylan Addae-Wusurecorded a season-high 12 points.
- This was his 46th career game with double-digit points.
- Prince Aligberecorded a career-high 19 points.
- This was his 15th career game with double-digit points.
- Garwey Dualrecorded a season-high 11 points.
- This was his second career game with double-digit points.
- This was his eighth career game with 2+ steals,
The Pirates be back in action at The Rock on Sunday, December 8, to take on Oklahoma State at 12 p.m. as part of the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. The game will be broadcast on FS1.
