Rodriguez scores career-high 21; Carrington and Whitehead add 19 and 17, respectively.
Jan. 23, 2016
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TICKETS TO ST. JOHN's GAME JAN. 27
CINCINNATI - The sophomore trio of Khadeen Carrington (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Desi Rodriguez (Bronx, N.Y.) and Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) combined to score 57 points for the Seton Hall men’s basketball team at No. 5 Xavier, but the Musketeers used a 21-7, mid-second half run to pull away from the Pirates, 84-76, Saturday at Cintas Center.
Rodriguez finished the day with a career-high 21 points, making 10 of 14 field goal attempts. Carrington added 19 points, and Whitehead had 17. The trio also combined for nine of Seton Hall’s 15 assists.
The loss concludes a three-game stretch of facing nationally ranked opponents with Seton Hall (13-6, 3-4 BIG EAST) winning one of three. The Pirates defeated No. 12 Providence a week ago before being edged by No. 4 Villanova by one point. The Pirates still sit in sixth place in the conference standings. Xavier (17-2, 5-2 BIG EAST) now is in a tie with Georgetown for second place.
Turning Point
After the first half featured five ties and nine lead changes, Xavier pulled out in front by nine less than a minute into the second half before the Pirates came back. Carrington delivered a three-pointer off a pass from Whitehead, and it was followed by redshirt freshman Michael Nzei (Makurdi, Nigeria) blocking a shot to give the Pirates possession again. In transition, Carrington fed Rodriguez, who drove into the paint, made the layup and drew the foul. His completion of the three-point play pulled The Hall within one, 50-49, with 15:57 to play.
Seconds after the free throw, Edmond Sumner found the basket with a layup to make it a three-point game, and James Farr had back-to-back baskets sandwiching a Carrington layup. Sean O’Mara’s dunk at 13:07 put Xavier up seven, and the Pirates then went cold, missing five of their next six shots and turning the ball over three times. J.P. Maura’s steal, and Jalen Reynolds’ layup at 8:30 gave the Musketeers their largest lead of the game at 71-56.
The Hall could not make a dent in the lead until the end with a couple of late baskets and free throws.
Inside the Numbers
Seton Hall is back at home on Wednesday to face New York rival St. John’s at Prudential Center at 7 p.m. FS1 will carry the live national television broadcast, simulcast online through the FOX Sports GO app. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio call on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on the Pirate Sports Network at PirateSportsNet.tv.
Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (973) 275-HALL or online through Ticketmaster.
Pirate Men's Basketball Home
http://www.shupirates.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/012316aab.html
Jan. 23, 2016
Box Score | USATSI Photo Gallery
Box Score (PDF)
TICKETS TO ST. JOHN's GAME JAN. 27
CINCINNATI - The sophomore trio of Khadeen Carrington (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Desi Rodriguez (Bronx, N.Y.) and Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) combined to score 57 points for the Seton Hall men’s basketball team at No. 5 Xavier, but the Musketeers used a 21-7, mid-second half run to pull away from the Pirates, 84-76, Saturday at Cintas Center.
Rodriguez finished the day with a career-high 21 points, making 10 of 14 field goal attempts. Carrington added 19 points, and Whitehead had 17. The trio also combined for nine of Seton Hall’s 15 assists.
The loss concludes a three-game stretch of facing nationally ranked opponents with Seton Hall (13-6, 3-4 BIG EAST) winning one of three. The Pirates defeated No. 12 Providence a week ago before being edged by No. 4 Villanova by one point. The Pirates still sit in sixth place in the conference standings. Xavier (17-2, 5-2 BIG EAST) now is in a tie with Georgetown for second place.
Turning Point
After the first half featured five ties and nine lead changes, Xavier pulled out in front by nine less than a minute into the second half before the Pirates came back. Carrington delivered a three-pointer off a pass from Whitehead, and it was followed by redshirt freshman Michael Nzei (Makurdi, Nigeria) blocking a shot to give the Pirates possession again. In transition, Carrington fed Rodriguez, who drove into the paint, made the layup and drew the foul. His completion of the three-point play pulled The Hall within one, 50-49, with 15:57 to play.
Seconds after the free throw, Edmond Sumner found the basket with a layup to make it a three-point game, and James Farr had back-to-back baskets sandwiching a Carrington layup. Sean O’Mara’s dunk at 13:07 put Xavier up seven, and the Pirates then went cold, missing five of their next six shots and turning the ball over three times. J.P. Maura’s steal, and Jalen Reynolds’ layup at 8:30 gave the Musketeers their largest lead of the game at 71-56.
The Hall could not make a dent in the lead until the end with a couple of late baskets and free throws.
Inside the Numbers
- Both teams made 30 field goals, including six three-pointers, grabbed over 40 rebounds and turned the ball over exactly 13 times.
- Although The Hall was out-rebounded 46-42, the Pirates had 18 offensive rebounds that turned into 16 second chance points.
- The difference in the game may have been decided at the free throw line as the Pirates were just 10-for-19, and Xavier was 18-for-22.
- The Pirates finished with 15 assists to 13 turnovers and significantly cut down their giveaway from the first half to the second after accruing nine turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
- Rodriguez had a career day with his 21 points, surpassing the 19 he scored at Marquette on Dec. 30, 2015. The 10 field goals and 14 attempts were also career highs. He added eight rebounds. With his one steal on the day, he has stolen a ball in every game this season.
- Carrington, the team’s leading scorer in conference games only, poured in 19 on 7-of-17 shooting, 4-of-9 from behind the arc. He is now averaging 17.1 points in the seven BIG EAST contests.
- Whitehead secured his eighth game of at least 15 points and five assists after going for 17 points and five dimes. He also blocked three shots as he continues to be one of the leading guard shot blockers in the conference.
- Sophomore Ismael Sanogo (Newark, N.J.) grabbed eight rebounds and has grabbed at least five in all 18 appearances this season.
- This was the seventh game of the year against a team that is currently in the RPI Top 100, the fourth in the last five games.
- The Pirates were facing three consecutive opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since the 2012-13 season, when they played No. 6 Syracuse, No. 17 Marquette and No. 10 Louisville in a span of eight days, Feb. 16-23.
- This was only the 12th all-time matchup between the two teams, and the Pirates still lead the all-time series 7-5, including 3-2 since Xavier became a BIG EAST member in 2013.
Seton Hall is back at home on Wednesday to face New York rival St. John’s at Prudential Center at 7 p.m. FS1 will carry the live national television broadcast, simulcast online through the FOX Sports GO app. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio call on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on the Pirate Sports Network at PirateSportsNet.tv.
Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (973) 275-HALL or online through Ticketmaster.
Pirate Men's Basketball Home
http://www.shupirates.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/012316aab.html
