Seton Hall
No. 15 Pirates Stunned on Road in Garden State Hardwood Classic Loss to Rutgers
Date: December 16, 2017
(Photo: SHU Athletics)
By: Matt Ambrose
The Seton Hall men's basketball team suffered a surprising setback on the road Saturday, as they fell to their in-state rival Rutgers Scarlet Knights 71-65 in the Garden State Hardwood Classic.
The Pirates came out of the gates looking strong, getting out to a 31-18 lead with 5:29 left in the first half. That lead would be their largest of the day. The Pirates would go into the locker room at halftime leading by 10, however some glimpses of Rutgers' strong play began to show.
Those glimpses carried over into the second half, where Rutgers put the pedal to the metal. Down 51-41 in the early stages of the second half, the Scarlet Knights went on an 11-1 run to tie the score at 52-52.
However, the Pirates would respond out of a timeout with the score tied at 54. Seton Hall would go on a 9-0 run to take a 63-54 lead with six minutes left, and it appeared as if the 15th ranked team in the country would be able to escape with a win.
Not to be.
The Scarlet Knights would not back down, outscoring the Pirates 17-2 over the final six minutes of the game to defeat their in-state rivals for the first time since 2013.
Fans would rush the floor at The RAC in Piscataway as the Pirates walked off the floor after a dejecting loss. It was a second half of horrors that did Seton Hall in, turning the ball over 14 times in the game's final 20 minutes.
Angel Delgado posted a 21-rebound performance, his third such game in a Seton Hall uniform and the first time he has done so since January of last season. However, the senior scored just seven points on 3-for-9 shooting, and was shut off offensively down low.
Myles Powell led the Pirates offensively, scoring 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including four three-pointers. The sophomore had a look at a three-pointer with eight seconds left that would have tied the game, but it rimmed out.
Seton Hall had no answers for Corey Sanders, who was named the MVP of the game scoring 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Sanders scored six consecutive points late in the second half, with the first two of those points tying the game at 63 after Rutgers answered Seton Hall's 9-0 run with one of their own. Sanders' free-throws with 2:22 remaining gave Rutgers their first lead of the day.
The Pirates will have a couple days off before they hit the hardwood again on Wednesday night at the Prudential Center as they take on the Wagner Seahawks. Catch all the action on 89.5 FM WSOU.
Matt Ambrose is an Assistant Sports Director at 89.5 FM WSOU. He can be reached at matthew.ambrose1@student.shu.edu and can be found on Twitter @mambrose97.
