Pirates get second straight win
The Seton Hall Pirates jump out to an early 28-7 lead in the first half and defeat the Creighton Bluejays, 74-55. The final score does not do the game justice in terms of domination by Seton Hall in the first half. Seton Hall was up 13-1 at the U16 timeout, 21-3 at the U12 timeout, and 23-5 at the U8 timeout, and 28-9 at the U4 timeout. Creighton finally broke double-digits with 2:25 left in the half, but it was otherwise all Pirates for most of the first half. The second half looked to be more competitive, with Creighton cutting it within 13 with 13:14 left in the game, but Seton Hall was quick to squash the 8-0 run that Creighton had gone on and keep the Bluejays at bay, extending the game back to around at least a 17-point lead from around the 10-minute mark to the end of the game.
Seton Hall did about everything that they could have correctly, considering the fact that Bryce Aiken (concussion) did not play. Kadary Richmond was phenomenal as starting point-guard, leading the team with 14 points and tallying 7 assists with just 3 turnovers. Jamir Harris (13) Myles Cale (12), Jared Rhoden (11), and Tyrese Samuel (11) all added double-digit points, while Alexis Yetna led the team in rebounds with 8 and Ike Obiagu led the team in blocks with 4. Seton Hall just wanted it more, seemingly beating Creighton in every statistical category except fast break points, due to Creighton gambling on steals in the second half.
Creighton was paced by Alex O’Connell with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Ryan Nembhard led the team with assists at 5, while adding 11 points. Arthur Kaluma and Trey Alexander both had 9 points. The presence of Ike Obiagu was felt on Creighton’s side, as Ryan Kalkbrenner only made 2 of his 9 attempts from the field, one of which was a three-pointer (first of his career). No Creighton player outside of Alexander shot better than 50% from the field, while Seton Hall had five players shoot at least 50% from the field.
For Seton Hall (who advances to 14-7), the road does not get easier: vs Xavier on the 9th, at Villanova on the 12th, at Connecticut on the 16th. For Creighton (dropping to 13-8), they do get a home game, but it is against a Butler team that punked them in Hinkle just a few weeks ago. Both teams will need to refocus from their highs or lows to get ready for the road ahead.