Pirates rout Marquette, 79-62, to complete first season sweep of the Golden Eagles
Feb. 4, 2016
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NEWARK, N.J. - Reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led all scorers with 21 points and classmate Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) matched a career-high with 19 points while grabbing 13 boards as Seton Hall completed a season sweep of Marquette with a 79-62 win Wednesday at Prudential Center.
The Hall (16-6, 6-4 BIG EAST) has now won three-straight, a streak that has been fueled in part by stellar play from Whitehead who added eight assists, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals in perhaps his finest all-around performance as a Pirate.
The sophomore also found the mark on 3-of-6 attempts from deep and has now poured in 20 points or more in seven games this season. In all, Whitehead has posted at least 15 points and five assists on 10 occasions this year - including five of the last six outings and seven times total in BIG EAST play.
Delgado has been dominant over the last three games, recording a double-double in each while classmate Khadeen Carrington (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and handed out five assists of his own.
Senior Derrick Gordon (Plainfield, N.J.) delivered 13 points and three assists without a turnover in 23 minutes off the bench.
Luke Fischer led Marquette (15-8, 4-6 BIG EAST) with 17 points and Jajuan Johnson finished with 15 as the Golden Eagles' starting five accounted for 55 of the team's 62 points.
Turning Point
After a Delgado layup pushed the Seton Hall lead to 49-41 with 14:14 remaining, Marquette rallied to score six of the next seven points, pulling to within one possession on a Jajuan Johnson layup at the 11:52 mark that made it 50-47.
The teams traded a pair of free throws and after the Golden Eagles pulled to within three a second time, Seton Hall sophomore Ismael Sanogo (Newark, N.J.) grabbed two consecutive offensive rebounds and finally found Whitehead for a triple that gave The Hall a 55-49 edge with 10:27 to play.
Gordon and Carrington also connected from beyond the arc on SHU's next two trips down the floor and in a span of 2:22 on the game clock, the lead had ballooned from three to 10. Whitehead added another 3-pointer that made it 66-53 in favor of The Hall, capping a stretch in which the Pirates hit four-straight from deep.
Prior to the run, Seton Hall was shooting 2-of-12 from beyond the arc.
Inside the Numbers
- Whitehead has now led the Pirates in scoring in three-straight games and four of the last five outings overall; topping the 20-point mark three times. Named BIG EAST Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Monday, Whitehead has averaged 20.0 points, 5.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 3FGM in the last five
- Delgado has been on a similar tear during the current winning streak, posting 15.7 points and 14.0 rebounds while shooting an impressive 71.4 percent from the floor (20-of-28) in the last three.
- The Pirates are also now 11-0 when Delgado records a double-double this season with five of those games coming since the start of BIG EAST play. In two games against the vaunted Marquette frontcourt of Henry Ellenson and Luke Fischer, Delgado registered a pair of double-doubles and totaled 30 points to go with 24 boards
- Carrington returned to double-figures in the scoring column where he has finished with 10+ points 19 times this season. The Brooklyn native also now owns four 5+ assist performances this year with half of them coming in the most recent two home wins over St. John's and Marquette
- As a team, the Pirates assisted on 12 of 14 first half field goals and went on to finish with 20 - one less than a season-high of 21 from a 66-49 home win over USF on December 22. The 20 assists represent the team's highest total in a conference game since handing out 23 helpers in an 80-70 win at Marquette last year (1/28/15)
- Behind stellar performances from Whitehead, Delgado and Carrington, Seton Hall's sophomore class combined to score 50+ points for the fifth consecutive game and the 17th time this year
- Gordon finished two points shy of his season high of 15 and out-scored the Marquette bench, 13-to-7, by himself
- A founding member of the conference, Seton Hall has scored 70+ points in six-straight BIG EAST games for the first time ever. The Pirates are 12-3 when scoring 70 or more this season and 21-5 when doing so over the last two years
- Seton Hall won the battle on the boards, 40-to-31 and has now pulled down at least 40 rebounds in four-straight games. Over the three game winning streak, SHU holds a +44 advantage on the glass (142/98)
- Ranked second in the BIG EAST with 66.7 points allowed per game entering the night, the Pirates have now allowed 69 points or less in three-straight games; matching their longest streak of the season. In 12 home games overall, SHU has held its opponent under the 70-point mark eight times.
- Over two meetings with Marquette, SHU out-scored the Golden Eagles by a +37 margin after scoring an 83-63 win in Milwaukee to open the conference slate. All five of Seton Hall's victories in the series have come by double-digits
- Michael Nzei (Makurdi, Nigeria) chipped in five points, four rebounds and two blocks off the bench and was part of a frontcourt that limited Ellenson for the second meeting in-a-row. Ellenson totaled three made field goals in each of the matchups between the two teams and shot 6-of-25 from the field against the Pirates overall
Head Coach Kevin Willard on the improvement of Ismael Sanogo:
"Ismael is the hardest working kid I've ever had. From anyone I've played with, coached, or seen. He has that attitude where he wants to prove himself every night and he works that way..."
On Limiting Opponents' Top Scorers:
"It's [the players] understanding the league much better and grasping concepts more easily. Last year, we would spen an hour and a half going over the other team's stuff. Today, we spent 12 minutes on Marquette, not because they aren't good, but because we understood the concepts of how we were playing everything. When they mature enough to understand that this is how we are playing this pick-and-roll and that pick-and-roll, you can keep them fresh which makes a big difference."
News & Notes
- The Hall has now won three-straight BIG EAST games for the first time since 2011-12
- The Pirates have now come away with six wins in their first 10 conference games for the first time since 2005-06
- SHU is 12-0 this season when leading at halftime, 80-14 under head coach Kevin Willard.
- With the win, Seton Hall completes its first-ever season sweep of the Golden Eagles. SHU is 3-1 against Marquette in the regular season over the last two years and four of the program's five wins in the series have come in the Willard era
- The victory also stopped a three-game winning streak for Marquette and in a highly-competitive BIG EAST Conference, Seton Hall's three-game winning streak is the second-longest active run in the league behind a four-game unbeaten stretch for Xavier
Up Next
The Pirates will continue a three-game homestand on Saturday, February 6 when Georgetown visits Prudential Center. Tip-off is slated for 9:00 p.m., and the game will be nationally televised on the CBS Sports Network.
Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio call on AM970 The Answer (WNYM) and can also be heard online through the Pirate Sports Network on PirateSportsNet.tv.
Tickets to Wednesday's game are still available and can be purchased by visiting the Seton Hall Athletics ticket office, calling (973) 275-HALL (4255) or online through Ticketmaster
Pirate Men's Basketball Home
Feb. 4, 2016
Box Score | Photo Gallery
Box Score (PDF)
BUY TICKETS TO NEXT HOME GAME - vs. Georgetown (2/6, 9 PM)
NEWARK, N.J. - Reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led all scorers with 21 points and classmate Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) matched a career-high with 19 points while grabbing 13 boards as Seton Hall completed a season sweep of Marquette with a 79-62 win Wednesday at Prudential Center.
The Hall (16-6, 6-4 BIG EAST) has now won three-straight, a streak that has been fueled in part by stellar play from Whitehead who added eight assists, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals in perhaps his finest all-around performance as a Pirate.
The sophomore also found the mark on 3-of-6 attempts from deep and has now poured in 20 points or more in seven games this season. In all, Whitehead has posted at least 15 points and five assists on 10 occasions this year - including five of the last six outings and seven times total in BIG EAST play.
Delgado has been dominant over the last three games, recording a double-double in each while classmate Khadeen Carrington (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and handed out five assists of his own.
Senior Derrick Gordon (Plainfield, N.J.) delivered 13 points and three assists without a turnover in 23 minutes off the bench.
Luke Fischer led Marquette (15-8, 4-6 BIG EAST) with 17 points and Jajuan Johnson finished with 15 as the Golden Eagles' starting five accounted for 55 of the team's 62 points.
Turning Point
After a Delgado layup pushed the Seton Hall lead to 49-41 with 14:14 remaining, Marquette rallied to score six of the next seven points, pulling to within one possession on a Jajuan Johnson layup at the 11:52 mark that made it 50-47.
The teams traded a pair of free throws and after the Golden Eagles pulled to within three a second time, Seton Hall sophomore Ismael Sanogo (Newark, N.J.) grabbed two consecutive offensive rebounds and finally found Whitehead for a triple that gave The Hall a 55-49 edge with 10:27 to play.
Gordon and Carrington also connected from beyond the arc on SHU's next two trips down the floor and in a span of 2:22 on the game clock, the lead had ballooned from three to 10. Whitehead added another 3-pointer that made it 66-53 in favor of The Hall, capping a stretch in which the Pirates hit four-straight from deep.
Prior to the run, Seton Hall was shooting 2-of-12 from beyond the arc.
Inside the Numbers
- Whitehead has now led the Pirates in scoring in three-straight games and four of the last five outings overall; topping the 20-point mark three times. Named BIG EAST Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Monday, Whitehead has averaged 20.0 points, 5.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 3FGM in the last five
- Delgado has been on a similar tear during the current winning streak, posting 15.7 points and 14.0 rebounds while shooting an impressive 71.4 percent from the floor (20-of-28) in the last three.
- The Pirates are also now 11-0 when Delgado records a double-double this season with five of those games coming since the start of BIG EAST play. In two games against the vaunted Marquette frontcourt of Henry Ellenson and Luke Fischer, Delgado registered a pair of double-doubles and totaled 30 points to go with 24 boards
- Carrington returned to double-figures in the scoring column where he has finished with 10+ points 19 times this season. The Brooklyn native also now owns four 5+ assist performances this year with half of them coming in the most recent two home wins over St. John's and Marquette
- As a team, the Pirates assisted on 12 of 14 first half field goals and went on to finish with 20 - one less than a season-high of 21 from a 66-49 home win over USF on December 22. The 20 assists represent the team's highest total in a conference game since handing out 23 helpers in an 80-70 win at Marquette last year (1/28/15)
- Behind stellar performances from Whitehead, Delgado and Carrington, Seton Hall's sophomore class combined to score 50+ points for the fifth consecutive game and the 17th time this year
- Gordon finished two points shy of his season high of 15 and out-scored the Marquette bench, 13-to-7, by himself
- A founding member of the conference, Seton Hall has scored 70+ points in six-straight BIG EAST games for the first time ever. The Pirates are 12-3 when scoring 70 or more this season and 21-5 when doing so over the last two years
- Seton Hall won the battle on the boards, 40-to-31 and has now pulled down at least 40 rebounds in four-straight games. Over the three game winning streak, SHU holds a +44 advantage on the glass (142/98)
- Ranked second in the BIG EAST with 66.7 points allowed per game entering the night, the Pirates have now allowed 69 points or less in three-straight games; matching their longest streak of the season. In 12 home games overall, SHU has held its opponent under the 70-point mark eight times.
- Over two meetings with Marquette, SHU out-scored the Golden Eagles by a +37 margin after scoring an 83-63 win in Milwaukee to open the conference slate. All five of Seton Hall's victories in the series have come by double-digits
- Michael Nzei (Makurdi, Nigeria) chipped in five points, four rebounds and two blocks off the bench and was part of a frontcourt that limited Ellenson for the second meeting in-a-row. Ellenson totaled three made field goals in each of the matchups between the two teams and shot 6-of-25 from the field against the Pirates overall
Head Coach Kevin Willard on the improvement of Ismael Sanogo:
"Ismael is the hardest working kid I've ever had. From anyone I've played with, coached, or seen. He has that attitude where he wants to prove himself every night and he works that way..."
On Limiting Opponents' Top Scorers:
"It's [the players] understanding the league much better and grasping concepts more easily. Last year, we would spen an hour and a half going over the other team's stuff. Today, we spent 12 minutes on Marquette, not because they aren't good, but because we understood the concepts of how we were playing everything. When they mature enough to understand that this is how we are playing this pick-and-roll and that pick-and-roll, you can keep them fresh which makes a big difference."
News & Notes
- The Hall has now won three-straight BIG EAST games for the first time since 2011-12
- The Pirates have now come away with six wins in their first 10 conference games for the first time since 2005-06
- SHU is 12-0 this season when leading at halftime, 80-14 under head coach Kevin Willard.
- With the win, Seton Hall completes its first-ever season sweep of the Golden Eagles. SHU is 3-1 against Marquette in the regular season over the last two years and four of the program's five wins in the series have come in the Willard era
- The victory also stopped a three-game winning streak for Marquette and in a highly-competitive BIG EAST Conference, Seton Hall's three-game winning streak is the second-longest active run in the league behind a four-game unbeaten stretch for Xavier
Up Next
The Pirates will continue a three-game homestand on Saturday, February 6 when Georgetown visits Prudential Center. Tip-off is slated for 9:00 p.m., and the game will be nationally televised on the CBS Sports Network.
Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio call on AM970 The Answer (WNYM) and can also be heard online through the Pirate Sports Network on PirateSportsNet.tv.
Tickets to Wednesday's game are still available and can be purchased by visiting the Seton Hall Athletics ticket office, calling (973) 275-HALL (4255) or online through Ticketmaster
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