Story Links
PHILADELPHIA - The Seton Hall men's basketball team went toe-to-toe with the No. 1 team in the country, and although the score does not show it, the Pirates battled Villanova punch-for-punch for 30 minutes before a 31-12 Wildcats run forced The Hall to a 92-76 defeat Sunday at Wells Fargo Center.
The Hall shot 50 percent for the game and turned the ball over only 10 times, but Villanova made 12 three-pointers, out-rebounded the Pirates and only committed seven giveaways.
Senior Desi Rodriguez (Bronx, N.Y.) led the Pirates (17-6, 6-4 BIG EAST) with 20 points while adding seven rebounds and four assists. Senior Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) was strong with 18 points and nine boards. Sophomore Myles Powell (Trenton, N.J.) had 17 points, making three three-pointers.
Villanova (22-1, 9-1 BIG EAST) was led by Omari Spellman, who had 26 points and 11 rebounds and made six three-pointers.
Turning Point
This game featured 10 ties and 15 lead changes and was an outstanding battle between two upper-echelon BIG EAST squads. The Hall led by as many as seven points in the first half, but Villanova took a four-point lead into the locker room, 41-37.
The Pirates did not back down and an 11-4 run to open the second half put The Hall back on top, 48-45, as Delgado had back-to-back layups, senior Ismael Sanogo (Newark, N.J.) dropped a jumper and senior Khadeen Carrington (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had a huge layup in transition with 16:10 on the clock.
Villanova reclaimed the lead, but it was still a tight game when Carrington was whistled for his fourth foul of the game and third of the half with 13:38 remaining in the game. He had to sit, and Villanova began taking advantage.
The game was still tight at 62-60 with 9:44 to go after a pair of Powell threes, but the Wildcats started to heat up, first going on an 11-2 run that included two Spellman triples and a tip-in from Mikal Bridges.
Rodriguez got the Pirates back to within seven, 74-67, with 6:08 left, but Spellman provided the dagger, hitting a three with 4:34 to go to initiate a 12-0 run and ice the game.
Inside the Numbers
- Seton Hall shot 50 percent for the game, making 31 of 62 attempts, and was 7-for-18 from three (38.9 percent). The Hall struggled at the free throw line, going only 7-for-14 (50 percent). Villanova meanwhile was one field goal better, going 32-for-63 overall (50.8 percent). The Wildcats made their threes, going 12-for-29 from beyond (41.4 percent). They were also struggling at the line, going 16-for-25 (64 percent).
- Seton Hall did a great job getting the ball inside, finishing with 38 paint points, but the Pirates were uncharacteristically out-rebounded by Villanova, 36-31, and the Wildcats used 13 offensive rebounds to generate 23 second chance points.
- The Pirates only turned the ball over 10 times, their second-fewest giveaways of the season, but naturally Villanova only committed seven.
- Rodriguez led all Pirates with 20 points, his 18th career 20-point game and seventh of the season. He was 8-for-13 from the field and 3-for-4 from behind the arc. He also had seven rebounds and four assists.
- Delgado was one rebound shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine boards. He was 9-for-15 from the field.
- Powell finished the game with 17 points, going 6-for-13 from the field and 3-for-8 from long distance.
- Sanogo had another outstanding performance in his role, generating four points, five rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal.
- Carrington was plagued by foul trouble but still produced 10 points and four assists.
News & Notes
- Seton Hall missed an opportunity for its first-ever win over the No. 1 team in the nation. The Pirates are 0-15 now. Seton Hall though is still 3-2 against ranked opponents this season.
- This was Seton Hall's first appearance at the Wells Fargo Center when playing at Villanova. The previous 24 road Villanova games took place on campus.
- The Pirates fell to 6-4 all-time on Super Bowl Sunday.
- Carrington has surpassed Fuquan Edwin (2010-14) for 12th place all-time in Seton Hall scoring history. He now has 1,637 points.
- Rodriguez surpassed Arturas Karnisovas (1990-94) and Dick Gaines (1954-57) to move into 17th all-time in Seton Hall scoring history with 1,516 points.
Up Next
Seton Hall returns home for a Wednesday night matchup with Marquette at Prudential Center. Game time is 7 p.m. Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery will have the call on the national FS1 broadcast. The long-lasting duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will carry the radio broadcast on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on Sirius 119, XM 202 and the Pirate Sports Network.
Tickets to the Marquette game and all Seton Hall home games are available online through Ticketmaster.com.
