The Seton Hall Pirates were back in action today as they took on the Butler Bulldogs. Before the game we spoke to Marisa Miller of the Butler Collegian. Marisa’s answers to our questions can be seen in our previous post. She told us to watch out for Kelan Martin and said that Butler would come away with a 73-68 victory. Marisa was not far off in her prediction as the Pirates did fall to Butler by a score of 81-75.

From the jump this game was an exciting one. The pace was quick and there was a lot of offense. The Bulldogs grabbed the lead early and would defend it for most of the half. The Pirates did a good job on limiting Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones in the first half. Kelan Martin stepped up to carry the Bulldogs. Isaiah Whitehead was red hot in the first half. The two teams would head into the locker room tied at 38.

The Bulldogs were led in the first half by Kelan Martin with 12 points and 3 rebounds. Tyler Wideman chipped in 7 points and 3 steals. Andrew Chrabascz led the team in assists with 3, and rebounds with 4 in the first half. Roosevelt Jones and Kellen Dunham combined for 5 points in the first half. The Bulldogs shot 48.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Pirates were led by the red hot Isaiah Whitehead in the first half. The sophomore posted 23 points on 8-8 shooting, which included 7-7 from beyond the arc. Angel Delgado grabbed 4 rebounds to lead the Hall. Khadeen Carrington dished out 4 assists to lead the Pirates in the first half. Desi Rodriguez chipped in 7 points for the Pirates. Seton Hall shot 50% from the field and 63.6% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The second half was what sunk the Pirates. Khadeen Carrington hit a three pointer early in the half to give the Pirates a 1 point lead. Ismael Sanogo would give the Pirates a three point lead, but that was the only lead the Pirates would have in the second half. Butler would gain the lead, but the Pirates would never let them run away with it. With 8:03 remaining in the half the Pirates would cut the lead to 2. Kelan Martin would answer with a three pointer to put the lead back to 5. With 1:13 left in the game the Pirates would again cut the lead to 2. Butler would answer with a big basket from Roosevelt Jones. Ultimately, the Pirates would fall to Butler 81-75.

The Bulldogs were led by Kelan Martin who scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Kellen Dunham hit some big shots in the second half and totaled 18 points on the night. Andrew Chrabascz scored 11 points, dished out 6 assists, and grabbed 5 rebounds. Tyler Wideman chipped in 11 points, had 4 steals, and grabbed 5 rebounds. Roosevelt Jones added 10 points for the Bulldogs. Butler shot 55.8% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc.

The Pirates were led by Isaiah Whitehead with 26 points and 10 assists. Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington each chipped in 11 points. Desi Rodriguez posted 18 points and led the team with 7 rebounds. Derrick Gordon led the Pirates with 3 steals on the night. The Pirates shot 48.3% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc.

With the win the Bulldogs improve to 17-7 overall and 6-6 in Big East play. With the loss the Pirates fall to 17-7 overall and 7-5 in Big East play. The Bulldogs will head home to take on the Xavier Musketeers on Saturday. The Pirates will travel to Washington, D.C. to take on the Georgetown Hoyas on February 17.

We would again like to thank Marisa Miller for all of her help. She is a great journalist and can be found on twitter @marisanmiller. Give her a follow and check out her stuff! Check out the PPI below to see which Pirates players stood out tonight. We will have full coverage of the game next Wednesday. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.