Category: Seton Hall

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Seton Hall Must Ride Seniors Through Tough Times

Baseline Perspective | Desi Rodriguez
Desi Rodriguez of Seton Hall (Image Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

In the biggest game of the season for Seton Hall, Desi Rodriguez couldn’t buy a bucket. The senior forward missed his first five shots from the field, he also committed two turnovers. 

The timing simply couldn’t be worse. 

Seton Hall’s season, full of promise, was spiraling out of control. They’re in a fight to stay afloat in what’s become a logjam in the middle of the Big East standings. A loss this past Sunday in Newark to DePaul, the last place team in the conference, would be a body blow for the Pirates and their postseason hopes for March.  

But with the pressure on and a sense of urgency inside the Prudential Center, there was Rodriguez and his fellow seniors struggling from the opening tip.  

With a little over seven minutes left in the first half, Rodriguez found his shot. He drained a three-pointer to break a 23-23 tie. He hit two more from downtown which keyed a 10-3 run from Seton Hall.  

Rodriguez found his shot just in time, he finished with a career-high 33 points. When Angel Delgado, the walking double-double, wasn’t pulling down rebounds he was diving on the floor for loose balls. It wasn’t pretty by any means but the Pirates escaped with a hard-fought 82-77 victory over DePaul. 

[irp posts=”565″ name=”Seton Hall Keeps Tournament Hopes Alive With Win Against DePaul”]

These are tough times for Seton Hall and they needed badly to beat DePaul. The win over the Blue Demons snapped a four-game losing streak which raised red flags all over the place. With the Big East tournament quickly approaching, these are desperate times for the Pirates.  

Head coach Kevin Willard’s senior core group of Delgado, Rodriguez, Khadeen Carrington, and Ismael Sanogo have struggled with bouts of inconsistency. It would’ve been easy to understand Willard shaking things up. 

But instead of playing his younger players more against DePaul, Willard doubled down on playing his seniors. When Rodriguez missed his first five shots, it looked like it wasn’t going to be his night. Instead of sitting him down, Willard let him work through it. The move paid off.  

The logic is simple, Willard knows this group has been through this before. What made Seton Hall an early favorite to make noise in March is their experience. This team is battle-tested and familiar with adversity visiting around this time of the season.  

Seton Hall’s win over DePaul, gritty as it was, did little to remove any of the current concerns surrounding them. Their final four games left on the schedule will set the tone for their last postseason run together. It won’t be easy.  

These are tough times for the Pirates, but history has shown they’ll rise to the occasion for one last ride.  

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Seton Hall Keeps Tournament Hopes Alive With Win Against DePaul

Baseline Perspective | Desi Rodriguez
Seton Hall forward Desi Rodriguez earlier this year.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Seton Hall won a tight game against Big East foes DePaul, 82-77 Sunday afternoon in Newark. The win pushed the Pirates to a .500 record in the conference and gave them an 18-9 overall record.  

Desi Rodriguez scored a career-high 33 points and Angel Delgado added 16 points with 19 rebounds for Seton Hall. 

The game was close in the first half until Rodriguez sparked a 10-0 run. The senior hit two three pointers in the run which helped the Pirates take a 31-23 advantage. The lead grew to 12 before DePaul went on a 10-0 run of their own to cut the lead to 38-36 at halftime. 

Delgado kept Seton Hall afloat in the first half with another double-double. The senior scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Delgado’s play energized the Pirates at a time where they struggled to get it going.  

Seton Hall barely shot over 30 percent from the field in the first half. But Delgado’s relentless hustle, diving for loose balls and extra effort on the boards helped give his team life. 

In the second half, Rodriguez caught fire by shooting 9 for 11 from the field and making all five of his free-throw attempts. Delgado kept his production up by grabbing eight rebounds and scoring six more points. 

As Seton Hall kept scoring so did DePaul, keeping the game within reach with the lead being no bigger than eight points. Marin Maric kept the Blue Demons in the game. The center shot eight of nine from the field and knocked down two three-pointers. 

In the final minute of the game Seton Hall looked poised to close the game with a win, but DePaul kept fighting and the Pirates found themselves in a tight game. Eli Cain made two free throws for the Blue Demons to cut the lead down to 77-71.  

Seton Hall freshman guard Jordan Walker missed two free throws, which kept the Pirates’ lead at 77-73.  DePaul’s Max Strus hit a huge three to trim the lead down to 79-77. Walker was at the line again, but this time made one out of two free throws. Cain’s missed layup led to Rodriguez closing out the game with two made free throws. 

After the game, Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard described the importance of Delgado’s leadership and why the team feeds off his energy. 

“He’s our emotional leader, Willard said. “He always has been, since day one when he stepped on campus.” 

Willard also confirmed Degado’s improved play and his feeling better after having knee problems. 

“The fact that he feels really good right now, he got back into playing basketball and playing the way he always plays.” 

What’s Next?

Seton Hall will look to get a win streak going against Providence Wednesday night at the Dunkin Donuts Center.