The Seton Hall Pirates were back in action at the Prudential Center as they took on the #4 Villanova Wildcats. Led by Josh Hart and his team high 15 points and 10 rebounds, the Wildcats handed the Pirates a 72-71 defeat. The two teams met two weeks ago and the Pirates fell by a score of 72-63. The defeat was a tough one for the Pirates, as they had multiple chances to win the game down the stretch. We talked to Larry Flynn before the game and he told us to watch for Daniel Ochefu who had a great game against Seton Hall in there first meeting.
The first half saw Villanova in control for the majority of it. With 13:21 to go in the first half the Pirates held a 12-11 lead. The Pirates got a spark from Desi Rodriguez who hit three quick three pointers. The Wildcats would then take the lead and hold onto it until the Pirates tied it with 1:32 remaining in the half. At one point Khadeen Carrington scored 10 straight points for the Pirates. However, Villanova had an answer for the Pirates every time. Kris Jenkins, Ryan Arcidiacono, and Josh Hart all hit three pointers for Villanova in the first half. At the end of the first half, the Wildcats would hold a 35-33 lead.
The Wildcats were led by Josh Hart in the first half. Hart posted 8 points and 5 rebounds. Kris Jenkins posted 8 points and 3 assists. Jalen Brunson led the Wildcats with 4 assists, and Daniel Ochefu led the team with 3 blocks. Darryl Reyolds and Josh Hart led the team with 5 rebounds. The Wildcats were lighting it up from beyond the arc as they shot 57.1% from three point range.
The Pirates were led in the first half by Desi Rodriguez who scored 13 points. Khadeen Carrington also scored in double digits with 10 points. Angel Delgado and Ismael Sanogo each had 5 rebounds for the Pirates in the first half.
The second half was a nail biter. The Wildcats increased their lead to 9 on a few occasions, but the Pirates kept battling back. The Pirates would cut the lead down to 2 multiple times, but it seemed Villanova always had an answer. With 4:45 to go in the second half the Wildcats led by 4. From there, Isaiah Whitehead would score 6 straight points to give the Pirates a two point lead. A layup from Daniel Ochefu would tie the game at 69. With 32 seconds to go, Ryan Arcidiacono scored to give Villanova a two point lead. The Pirates had a chance to tie but Derrick Gordon’s layup attempt was blocked. The Pirates then had a chance to tie or win the game after a Villanova turnover, but the Pirates turned the ball over on the inbound. The Pirates would ultimately fall to Villanova by a score of 72-71.
The Wildcats were led by Josh Hart with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Kris Jenkins had 12 points and 4 assists for Villanova. Ryan Arcidiacono and Mikal Bridges each posted 10 points. Darryl Reynolds grabbed 8 boards and Jalen Brunson chipped in 9 points.
The Pirates were led by Isaiah Whitehead with 21 points and 5 assists. Khadeen Carrington added 17 points and Desi Rodriguez chipped in 14. Angel Delgado posted 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Ismael Sanogo grabbed 8 rebounds as well for the Hall.
With the win the Wildcats improve to 17-2 overall and 7-0 in Big East play. With the loss the Pirates fall to 13-5 overall and 3-3 in Big East play. The Wildcats will return home to take on the Providence Friars on Saturday. The Pirates will head to Cincinnati on Saturday to take on the Xavier Musketeers.
We would again like to thank Larry Flynn for all of his help this year. He is a terrific journalist and has a wealth of information on Villanova basketball. Give him a follow and check out his stuff! Check out the PPI to see which Pirates stood out. We will have full coverage of the Xavier game on Saturday. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.
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