Seton Hall University
Creighton
Hall tops Creighton on Gibbs' game-winning three-pointer
1/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Omaha, Neb. - Junior Sterling Gibbs (Scotch Plains, N.J.) has struck again.
Known for knocking down the big shot, Gibbs drained a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining to lift the No. 19 Seton Hall men's basketball team to a 68-67 win over Creighton Saturday at CenturyLink Center. Gibbs, who beat Villanova with a jumper at the buzzer in the 2014 BIG EAST Championship quarterfinals, finished with a game-high 22 points, none bigger than the three he buried at the end.
Seton Hall improves to 13-3 overall and 3-1 in BIG EAST play. Creighton falls to 9-8 overall and 0-4 in BIG EAST. The Pirates are currently in a four-way tie for first place with Villanova, Providence and DePaul.
In a game that featured eight ties and 13 lead changes, it came down to the final minute. Senior Brandon Mobley (Savannah, Ga.), who had nine points and matched a career high with 13 rebounds, had a three-point attempt rim out with the game tied at 65-65. Creighton then came down and put the ball in the hands of James Milliken, who got to the rim for a shot, but it fell off the rim. Will Artino was there to clean it up with a tip-in, giving the Blue Jays a 67-65 lead.
The Pirates attempted to run a play, but then called timeout with just over seven seconds remaining to draw up a new play. This time Gibbs in-bounded the ball to Mobley, who then returned it to Gibbs near the top of the key. Then Gibbs buried the three-pointer for the lead. Creighton got a shot off at the buzzer, but it missed.
The ending was the culmination of a back-and-forth contest with multiple pendulum swings. After falling behind 5-0, the Pirates made their presence known with an 11-0 run mid first half. Freshman Khadeen Carrington (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who finished the game with 11 points, three assists and zero turnovers, provided a pair of tough baskets in the paint to sandwich a freshman Desi Rodriguez (Bronx, N.Y.) three-pointer as the Pirates defense held Creighton to 0-for-4 shooting and four turnovers in a span of 6:06.
Seton Hall had as much as a seven-point lead, 14-7, after Gibbs' three-pointer, but it became a back-and-forth affair after that as the Blue Jays went on a 13-6 run to tie the game at 20-20. The teams traded the lead a couple of times, and the Pirates tied it at 30-30 with under a minute left. Creighton's Devin Brooks then made a wild floating layup against a good Pirates defense to give the Blue Jays a 32-30 lead going into the break.
The Pirates came out strong in the second half as it was sophomore Jaren Sina's (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) turn to get hot. He buried three-pointers on back-to-back possessions as part of an 8-2 Hall run to put them back on top 38-34.
That was the largest lead either team would see the rest of the way as Creighton made timely three-pointers to keep the game within one possession either way, including Toby Hegner's triple at 6:54 that made it 55-54 Blue Jays.
But Sina was there to answer the call with his third triple of the half, putting the Pirates back on top, 57-55. They had a 61-58 lead when Milliken converted a three-point play to tie it at 61-61 with 3:14 to go. The teams traded buckets and free throws to set up the final minute sequence and Gibbs' game-winner.
Seton Hall did a great job in converting turnovers into points with 14 off of Creighton's nine giveaways. The Pirates also had 14 offensive rebounds that turned into 17 second chance points. Seton Hall committed only seven turnovers itself, a season low.
Seton Hall will be back in action Tuesday, Jan. 13 when it hosts Butler at Prudential Center at 7 p.m. For tickets, call (973) 275-HALL or click here.
