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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. Sophom*ore 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.