Seton Hall University
USF
Balanced offense lifts Pirates past USF 89-69
12/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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TAMPA - Freshman Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) scored 16 points to lead five Seton Hall men's basketball players in double figures as the Pirates used their hot shooting to run past South Florida, 89-69, Thursday at the Sun Dome. The Pirates have now won nine of their first 10 games to open the season and picked up their first true road victory of the year.
Joining Delgado in double figures were junior Sterling Gibbs (Scotch Plains, N.J.), who had 14 points, senior Brandon Mobley (Savannah, Ga.), who had 11 points and freshmen Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Khadeen Carrington (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who both notched 10 points. Seton Hall was deadly on the offensive end, shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 55 percent (11-for-20) from three-point range. The team also had 18 assists to just 13 turnovers while also out-rebounding USF, 39-33.
"The one thing I've learned: It's great having guys who can make shots," said Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard. "We always have guys out there who can make shots. I think we're getting a little more comfortable in our half-court offense, when to take shots, when not to take them."
The first half was an offensive slugfest, won by the Pirates, who drained six of their 11 three-pointers in the first 20 minutes. Mobley got things going with back-to-back three-pointers, and Gibbs was distributing early on, recording assists on each of Seton Hall's first five buckets, including a nice feed to Mobley for a dunk at 15:52 to give The Hall a 13-6 advantage. Gibbs finished with six assists on the evening.
USF would only get as close as five points the rest of the night, and senior Haralds Karlis (Riga, Latvia) quickly made that five-point lead an eight-point one, 20-12, with a three-pointer at 12:25. Whitehead got into the three-point column with a triple of his own at 6:41, expanding the lead to 11, 31-20. Then the Pirates used defense to generate offense as when redshirt freshman Rashed Anthony (Orangeburg, S.C.) stripped USF's Corey Allen Jr., and Carrington hit a jumper to give The Hall its largest lead of the half, 13. The Pirates went into the break leading 45-33.
Seton Hall came out of the break hitting five of its first seven shots as the Pirates quickly expanded the lead to 18. Whitehead was very much involved, dishing to Gibbs on a fastbreak, then weaving through the defense with a left-handed lay-in off glass and then draining a three-pointer, all on three consecutive possessions. The triple made it 56-38 in favor of The Hall.
The lead remained in the teens as the Pirates went generated points by getting to the foul line. Then they broke it open with an 18-6 run that culminated with sophomore Jaren Sina (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) third three-pointer of the night to make it 88-61. During the run, which lasted over six minutes, Seton Hall limited USF to 3-for-13 shooting.
Seton Hall will take its show to Athens, Ga., where it will face the SEC's Georgia Bulldogs Sunday night at Stegeman Coliseum. Tip time is 6 p.m., and the game will be nationally televised on ESPNU. Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin will also have the radio call on 970 AM.
