Seton Hall University
No. 6 Villanova
Players Mentioned
Hall suffers setback at No. 6 Villanova
2/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Villanova, Pa. - Three Seton Hall men's basketball players reached double figures in scoring, but the Pirates shot only 32.3 percent from the field while No. 6 Villanova connected on 12 three-pointers as the Wildcats topped the Pirates, 80-54, Monday night at The Pavilion. Freshman Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the Pirates with 15 points and four assists.
Villanova's strong three-point shooting, 12-for-27, was in stark contrast to the previous two meetings with the Pirates, who limited the Wildcats to 9-for-43 shooting from behind the arc in wins this past January and last March.
Meanwhile the Pirates offense struggled against Villanova's strong defense, going 20-for-62 from the field and 9-for-28 from the three-point line. The Pirates did improve their ball-handling and efficiency, generating 13 assists off of 20 field goals made and committing only 11 turnovers, eight fewer than last Saturday at Providence.
The Pirates got off to a slow start, falling behind by scores of 7-0 and 14-4, but they mounted a strong comeback with freshman Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) making a pair of field goals, including a put-back, Whitehead hitting a jumper and generating a steal on defense and junior Sterling Gibbs (Scotch Plains, N.J.) draining a three-pointer at the 12:19 mark to get Seton Hall within one, 14-13.
But Villanova's Darrun Hilliard was there to answer for the Wildcats. He scored seven consecutive points on just two field goals, drawing contact on a three-pointer that he hit to get the four-point opportunity and then converting a three-point play after Villanova's Josh Hart grabbed an offensive rebound. The Wildcats went back on top by 10 and went into halftime leading by 16, 36-20.
Seton Hall (15-11, 5-9 BIG EAST) cut an 18-point deficit down to 11 after Whitehead sank back-to-back three-pointers at the 17:05 and 16:29 marks and then down to 10, 46-36, with 13:44 to play, but Villanova (24-2, 11-2 BIG EAST) went back on the offensive as Kris Jenkins was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three free throws and then came back down the following possession and buried another three-pointer to make it a 14-point game, beginning a 29-9 Wildcats run that put the game out of reach.
The Pirates will be back on the court Saturday at St. John's. Tip-off from Carnesecca Arena will be at noon, and the game will air on FOX. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio call on AM970.
