Seton Hall Drops Second Straight Big East Game Against Xavier

After losing to Creighton by 17 points, all eyes were on Seton Hall to see how they would react from the defeat. In front of a sellout crowd on Saturday afternoon in Newark, the Pirates were looking to show the country and the rest of the Big East that they are still a team to be reckoned with against No. 11 ranked Xavier.

After an energetic first half, Seton Hall was unable to sustain the momentum as they fell to Xavier, 73-64, at the Prudential Center.

The first half was a sloppy one as both teams combined for 14 turnovers. It was apparent early that the trio of Angel Delgado, Desi Rodriguez, and Khadeen Carrington had something to prove after combining for just 12 points against Creighton. The three seniors combined for 20 points first-half points, but the plan hit a snag after Rodriguez picked up his third foul at the 6:20 mark of the first half. Delgado dominated the boards in the first 20 minutes finishing the half with 10 rebounds.

Towards the end of the first half, the Pirates went through a stretch where they went scoreless for almost four minutes until a Myles Powell three-pointer broke the drought. While Xavier kept it close, Seton Hall led for nearly the entire half as they took a 35-30 lead into the locker room. Carrington had 10 points in the first half.

The Hall started the second half on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 42-32. Rodriguez began the half on fire scoring five of the seven points scored by the Pirates. As is the case, Xavier showed why they are also a Top 25 team as the Musketeers pulled within four after a Trevon Bluiett lay-up. While both sides were shooting in the 40 percent range from the field, they struggled from behind the arc.

As in the first half, Seton Hall (15-5, 4-3 Big East) went an extended period without a point until Rodriguez’s electrifying dunk at the 10:12 mark of the second half. During the drought, Xavier cut the lead to two. Seton Hall faced yet another scoreless streak as Xavier took their first lead since the 17:59 mark of the first half.

The latter part of the second half saw a back-and-forth game where both teams traded the lead. Xavier (18-3, 6-3 Big East) led by five with 2:21 remaining after two J.P. Macura free throws. Xavier capped a 9-1 with a Macura putback dunk that put Xavier up by seven. Xavier iced the game with a few free throws to win their sixth conference game of the season.

Rodriguez finished with 19 points for Seton Hall, who lost consecutive games for the first time this season. Carrington finished with 14 points on 5-of-19 shooting. The Pirates shot just 4-of-20 from three-point territory and ended the game with 18 turnovers.

Macura scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half to lead Xavier. The Musketeers shot 43 percent from the field in the second half, while holding Seton Hall to just a 37 percent shooting in the half.

Next Up For The Pirates

Seton Hall will look to bounce back on the road against DePaul in Chicago on Sunday, January 28th. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.