Seton Hall University
No. 12 Providence
HALL WIN! Pirates Top No. 12 Providence on the Road
1/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
PROVIDENCE - Sophomore Khadeen Carrington (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored a career-high 22 points, and his classmate Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had 15 points and seven assists as the Seton Hall men's basketball team knocked off No. 12 Providence on the road, 81-72, Saturday at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
The win is Seton Hall's first road victory over a ranked opponent since knocking off Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, 90-68, on Jan. 25, 2011 and the program's 17th all-time. The Pirates (13-4, 3-2 BIG EAST), winners of eight of their last 10 games, have now defeated a ranked opponent in each of the last three seasons and eight times overall under head coach Kevin Willard.
Carrington, who came off the bench for a second time this season, did the bulk of his work at the free throw line, going a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe, all in the second half. Whitehead reached at least 15 points and five assists for the sixth time this season. Sophomore Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) turned in his 12th double-digit rebounding game of the season with 11 boards.
Turning Point
In the early going it was a tightly contested match with five ties and seven lead changes. After Providence's Kris Dunn nailed a layup at 6:10 to tie the game at 23-23, the Pirates closed the half on a 15-5 run and got Dunn into foul trouble. On the ensuing possession from Dunn's layup, Whitehead found sophomore Desi Rodriguez (Bronx, N.Y.) on the fastbreak to reclaim the lead. Carrington buried a three-pointer and all of a sudden it was a five-point lead.
Dunn connected on a layup at 4:27, but that was the final Friars field goal of the half as the Pirates locked down, held PC to 0-for-6 shooting with one turnover and then closed the period with a bucket from senior Derrick Gordon (Plainfield, N.J.) and two from Whitehead to go into halftime up 38-28.
Seton Hall immediately stretched the lead to 12 and continued to get Dunn into foul trouble as the Friars leader picked up his fourth foul with 10:47 left and then fouled out with 3:02 to go. The Friars made it a six-point game, 72-66, with 2:56 to play, but the Pirates played it cool at the free throw line. They went 9-for-10 from the line in the final three minutes, and the final punctuation on defense came when Whitehead and sophomore Ismael Sanogo (Newark, N.J.) each blocked shots underneath in the final minute, stopping the Friars from getting within seven.
Inside the Numbers
- The Hall shot 48.3 percent for the game and connected on three three-pointers. The team also was 20-for-24 from the free throw line.
- Providence was held to 30.1 percent shooting, the team's second-lowest shooting output of the year. PC was 5-for-25 from three-point range and 23-for-31 from the free throw line.
- The Pirates out-rebounded the Friars 50-36, the ninth time this season they have grabbed more caroms than their opponent (7-2 record). This was the sixth time The Hall has grabbed 40 or more boards in a game.
- The Hall took care of business in the paint, outscoring PC down low 38-26.
- Carrington's 22 points is a new career high, surpassing the 21 he scored at George Washington. The 12-for-12 at the free throw line is also a career best for him, and it ties him for fourth all-time in Pirates history for most consecutive free throws made in a single game.
- With his 15 points and seven assists, Whitehead reached the 15-point, five-assist mark for the sixth time this season. He was 6-for-13 from the field, meaning he accounted for 13 of the team's 29 field goals on the day. He added five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a well-rounded effort.
- Making only his third start of the season, Gordon scored a season-high 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and played solid defense against Dunn, who had 16 points, but had four turnovers to only two assists and fouled out of the game.
- Delgado (11) and Sanogo (10) both reached double-figures in rebounds. For Delgado it was the 12th time this season; for Sanogo his third. Sanogo has grabbed at least five boards in every game he's played this season.
- In a solid 22 minutes off the bench, redshirt freshman Michael Nzei (Makurdi, Nigeria) posted eight points and six rebounds.
- Providence was led by Ben Bentil, who had 21 points and nine rebounds.
News & Notes
- Seton Hall defeated an Associated Press Top 25 team on the road for the 17th time in program history and the first since topping Syracuse, 90-68, on Jan. 25, 2011. The Pirates have also now beaten a ranked team in each of the last three seasons and for the eighth time under head coach Kevin Willard.
- This is the first of three consecutive games against AP Top 25 teams, a first for the team since 2012-13.
- The Pirates have now won at Providence in seven of their last 10 trips to the Dunkin' Donuts Center, including two of the last three.
- On his first made basket of the game, Carrington became the 117th Pirate all-time to reach 500 career points. He joins his teammate Whitehead, who reached the mark in the last game vs. Creighton.
- Seton Hall has closed the gap on the all-time series against Providence. It's now 51-47 in favor of the Friars with Seton Hall winning seven of the last 13.
Up Next
The Pirates head home for a Wednesday night showdown against No. 6 Villanova at Prudential Center at 9 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network, and Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio call on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on the Pirate Sports Network (PirateSportsNet.TV). Tickets can be purchased by calling (973) 275-HALL or visiting HALLTix.com/Ticketmaster.
