The Seton Hall Pirates opened their home Big East slate today with a contest against the DePaul Blue Demons. We talked to Ben Gartland before the game. Gartland writes for the DePaulia and is a great journalist and a worthwhile follow on twitter @BenG_Sports. Ben gave us some great insight on the Blue Demons and his recap of the game can be seen here DePaul Recap vs Seton Hall.
The Pirates came out hot to start the game. The Pirates held a lead as large as 10 points in the first half. Desi Rodriguez was a spark plug early on. In addition to a big three pointer, he stole a pass and threw down a one handed slam. DePaul battled back and tied the game on two occasions. Turnovers and chippy play were two standouts of the first half. The refs swallowed their whistles and let the players bang around inside. Billy Garrett Jr. struggled early on in the half but was the go to guy down the stretch for DePaul. Ultimately the Pirates took a one point lead into the locker room. The Pirates led 35-34 after the first half.
The Pirates were led by Desi Rodriguez and Khadeen Carrington who each had 7 points. Angel Delgado had 6 rebounds and Isaiah Whitehead had 4 assists for the Hall. The Blue Demons of DePaul were led by Billy Garrett Jr. who posted 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. Tommy Hamilton IV led the Blue Demons on the boards with 6 rebounds.
The second half was a very tightly contested affair. The Blue Demons came out strong and took the lead right off the tip with a three from Aaron Simpson. After a layup from Angel Delgado tied the game, the Blue Demons immediately retook the lead with two free throws from Billy Garrett Jr.. From there the Pirates hold the lead to the end of the game. The game was not without drama though. With less than 1 second remaining in the game, Derrick Gordon fouled Billy Garrett Jr. taking a three pointer. This sent Garrett Jr. to the line with a chance to tie the game. He would make 1 of 3 and the Pirates would escape with a 78-74 victory.
The Blue Demons were led by Billy Garrett Jr. who had 20 points and 8 assists. Myke Henry added 15 points and 9 rebounds. Rashaun Stimage chipped in 15 points and 5 rebounds, and Tommy Hamilton IV added 8 rebounds. The Pirates were led by Isaiah Whitehead with 18 points and 9 assists. Khadeen Carrington and Ismael Sanogo each had good games with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Angel Delgado posted his 7th straight double double. He had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Desi Rodriguez was benched for a good part of the game, that will be something to keep track of going forward.
With the loss the Blue Demons drop to 6-8 on the season and 0-2 in Big East play. The Pirates remain undefeated at home with the win. The Hall improves to 12-2 on the season and 2-0 in Big East play. The Blue Demons will head home to take on Butler on Tuesday. The Pirates will head to Philadelphia to take on Villanova on Wednesday.
Again a big thank you goes out to Ben Gartland for his wealth of information on DePaul basketball. Give him a follow on twitter and check out his article! Check out the PPI below to see which Pirates performed the best today. We will have full coverage of the Villanova game on Wednesday. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.
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