Pirates Surge Past Bulldogs on Senior Day

Date: March 4, 2018

Almost a year ago, Seton Hall (21-10, 10-8) went into Hinkle Fieldhouse to spoil Butler's (19-12, 9-9) senior day festivities, but the Pirates would not let the Bulldogs ruin their own senior day, as Ismael Sanogo, Desi Rodriguez, Khadeen Carrington, and Angel Delgado were honored before tip-off of a 77-70 victory.

"It was the hardest pregame meeting I had ever," Head Coach Kevin Willard said about his pregame speech to the team. "I looked and myself in the mirror and told myself, 'you have to get it together.'"

While Ismael Sanogo sat out and Desi Rodriguez was left on the bench to preserve his health, Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington got the Pirates out to a hot start, combining for 25 points out of the team's 31 first half points.

The underclassmen helped around the ball, playing very well defensively. Eron Gordon had three points and one steal, while Mike Nzei finished the day with six points and 10 rebounds.

"Mike (Nzei) has been phenomenal, when I talk about this group, I always talk about Mike," Willard said about his reshirt junior. "He's a special kid, he's going to graduate with a 4.0 GPA from the business school."

Myles Cale had an impressive game filling in for the injured Desi Rodriguez. He came in clutch late in the game, with seven second-half points. He had finished the game with nine points, three assists, and one block in his second consecutive start.

"Myles Cale is going to be a phenomenal player...the way he was thrown in the last three games just shows how tough he is," Willard said about his freshman guard.

Pirates started the second half slow, letting Butler tie the game up at 35-35 after the first five minutes. Kelan Martin finished with a game-high 35 points (11-24 from the floor, 6-12 from three), and had six rebounds to add to his day. His 25 second-half points, however, were not enough to put the Bulldogs over the Pirates.

Things were not easy for the Pirates towards the end of regulation. Delgado and Wideman tangled with each other going back in transition with five minutes remaining. Following that, Carrington pushed through Thompson and Wideman, the officials came back with no flagrant fouls.

Carrington came alive midway through the second half, throwing down an explosive dunk and then hitting a deep three-pointer in consecutive possessions, which brought the Rock to a frenzy. He finished the game with 25 points (7-14 FG, 3-3 3PT), four rebounds, three steals, and two assists, in 38 minutes played.

Angel Delgado muscled his way around the Butler bigs all game long, finishing with 21 points (9-11 FG) and 10 rebounds for his 71st career double-double in 36 minutes of play.

Myles Powell, the likely face of the Pirates next season, had another slow first half shooting, but helped in different ways. He finished with 13 points (6-for-6 from the foul line), four rebounds, and a team-high five assists.

Desi Rodriguez came to the scorer's table for the last four seconds of the game to loud roars. The trio of Delgado, Carrington, and Rodriguez surrounded Kevin Willard with hugs with four seconds remaining.

"This is the best senior night I've ever been a part of, so far...I will miss them dearly," Willard said after the game.

This win for the Pirates locked them at third place in the Big East, avoiding a first round game against DePaul. Seton Hall and Butler are scheduled for rematch on March 8 at 9:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Desi Rodriguez is hopeful for Thursday's bout with the Bulldogs, while Ismael Sanogo is questionable. Coverage is on 89.5FM WSOU all Tournament long.

Michael Lovero can be reached at michael.lovero@student.shu.edu.

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