The Seton Hall Pirates opened up the Big East tournament on Thursday in a match up against the Creighton Bluejays. The winner of this game would go on to take on the Xavier Musketeers in the semifinals. The Pirates would come away with a hard fought 81-73 victory over Creighton.

The two teams had a close game for the majority of the first half. Halfway through the first half the Pirates led by a score of 18-15. The Pirates would begin to pull away though towards the end of the half. With 2:49 remaining in the first half Khadeen Carrington would hit a three pointer to give the Pirates a 14 point lead. The Bluejays would battle back and cut the lead to 9 as the two teams headed to the locker room. At the half the Pirates led Creighton 39-30.

Creighton was led by Cole Huff in the first half with 15 points and a rebound. Geoffrey Groselle added 7 points and 3 rebounds. James Milliken grabbed 3 boards and dished out 3 assists. The Bluejays shot 33.3% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Pirates were led by Isaiah Whitehead who had 11 points and 8 rebounds in the first half. Khadeen Carrington added 9 points in the first half. Desi Rodriguez chipped in 7 points and 6 rebounds. The Pirates shot 50% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Bluejays came out hot to start the second half. With 16:58 to go, Cole Huff would hit a jumper and cut the lead to 41-39. The Bluejays would hang around and would take a one point lead on a Malik Albert layup. The Pirates would again build up a lead but Creighton refused to go away. With 4:10 to go, Cole Huff would tie the game at 63-63. The Pirates would make some clutch baskets down the stretch though. Derrick Gordon made a huge three pointer down the stretch. Isaiah Whitehead make some big free throws and grabbed some big rebounds. Ultimately, the Hall would beat Creighton 81-73.

The Bluejays were led by Cole Huff with 35 points and 9 rebounds. James Milliken added 18 points and 5 assists. Geoffrey Groselle chipped in 12 points and Maurice Watson Jr. led the team with 6 assists. Creighton shot 41.1% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.

The Pirates were led by Khadeen Carrington who had 27 points on the night. Isaiah Whitehead added 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. Angel Delgado grabbed 8 rebounds and Desi Rodriguez added 9 points. The Pirates shot 50.9% from the field and 47.1% from beyond the arc.

With the win, the Pirates advance to the semifinals of the Big East tournament. They will take on the Xavier Musketeers tomorrow at 9 p.m. on Fox Sports 1. Check out the PPI to see which players excelled. We will have full coverage of the game tomorrow. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.