Seton Hall University
6-4,0-0Big East
Rutgers
6-4,1-1Big Ten
Jersey Runs Blue! Pirates Keep Trophy, Lock Down Rutgers, 45-43
12/11/2022 9:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Ndefo finished the game with nine points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals to earn the Joe Calabrese MVP trophy. Junior Dre Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) was the lone player in the entire game to score in double figures as he finished with 10 points in his first game back since the Pirates' win over Memphis on Nov. 24.
It was the first road win in the series between Seton Hall and Rutgers since the Pirates won in 2015.
How It Happened
The score was knotted up at 12-12 with 10:03 to play in the first half when the Pirates made a run. Dre Davis knocked down a three that gave Seton Hall the lead back and Ndefo and junior Kadary Richmond (Brooklyn, N.Y.) both converted layups that made it a 7-0 and put the Pirates on top, 19-12. However, Rutgers responded with a 10-0 run to jump back in front before a trey by Harris tied the game up at 22-22 with 2:14 before the break.
Rutgers took a four-point lead into the locker room and extended their lead to seven points, 33-26, on a three-point basket that forced Seton Hall to call a timeout. The Pirates punched back with an 8-0 run of their own the reversed the lead back in their favor, 34-33, with 9:57 to play.
With the Pirates trailing by four with 9:10 to go, Richmond juked his defender with a crossover move, kicked it out to Davis who made the extra pass to senior Al-Amir Dawes (Newark, N.J.) who made the wide open three in the corner that trimmed the Rutgers' lead to one, 38-37.
Only six points would be scored over the next four-plus minutes as both teams locked down on defense. With 2:46 left in the Garden State slugfest, a missed three-point basket by Rutgers led to a runout and Davis drew a foul on the other end of the floor. He sank both free throws and gave The Hall a one-point advantage. The score was once again knotted up at 43-43 after Rutgers missed the backend of a one-plus-one and the Pirates made him pay as junior Femi Odukale (Brooklyn, N.Y.) found Ndefo underneath for the go-ahead basket with 1:54 to play.
Inside The Numbers
- Seton Hall shot 34 percent from the field compared to Rutgers' 32 percent.
- Both teams made five threes and both finished with 15-plus turnovers.
- The Pirates forced 19 Scarlet Knight miscues but Rutgers scored 16 points off of 15 Seton Hall turnovers.
- Of their 19 turnovers forced, the Pirates came away with 12 steals.
- There were 10 lead changes and 11 ties.
- Seton Hall held Rutgers to 17 pants and 27 percent shooting (6-of-22) in the second half.
- Points in the paint was even, 18-18, and The Hall had the edge in bench points, 16-13.
- Rutgers made 10 of 11 free throws but the Pirates finished with seven more attempts, going 10-of-18 from the stripe.
News & Notes
- Seton Hall improves to 6-4 on the season and 42-31 all-time against Rutgers.
- 88 combined points were the fewest in a Seton Hall-Rutgers game in the modern era.
- The last time there were 90 or fewer points scored was 89 combined points on Dec. 27, 1947, a 46-43 Seton Hall win.
- Seton Hall improves to 14-13 all-time at Jersey Mike's Arena.
- Over the last 28 meetings between the Pirates and the Scarlet Knights, 22 games have been decided by six points or fewer
- Shaheen Holloway is now 5-1 against Rutgers all-time as a player and a head coach.
- Holloway is 14-4 against New Jersey schools as a head coach since 2019-20.
- The Hall is 138-21 (.868) since 2015-16 when its lead gets to seven points.
- Dawes now has 981 career points.
- Ndefo is now up to 328 career blocks, the most for an active Division I player.
Up Next
Next up for the Pirates is their final non-conference game of the season as Seton Hall welcomes Drexel to Prudential Center for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Dec. 14. Wednesday is a Team Walker Toy Drive game and all fans are encouraged to bring a a new or unwrapped toy to the concourse.
