Hall rallies to upset Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Desi Rodriguez scored most every time he had the ball against No. 17 Louisville, so it wasn’t shocking for the Seton Hall senior forward to convert his final opportunity with the game on the line.

Other than the degree of difficulty in firing a winning shot over Cardinals 7-footer Anas Mahmoud, that is.

“I just wanted to be aggressive,” Rodriguez said after his off-balance banker with eight seconds remaining gave Seton Hall a hard-fought 79-77 victory Sunday. “I knew I had to make a strong move, and I was just happy and excited that I finished strong.”

Rodriguez had a season-high 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting with two 3-pointers. His basket was the last of seven consecutive for the Pirates (7-1), who overcame a 59-52 deficit with 11:33 left to cap a thrilling finish featuring three ties and four lead changes in the final 5:21.

That set the stage for the final possession when Rodriguez delivered .

The Pirates ran the clock down before Rodriguez got the ball and dribbled left. He fired a shot off the glass for the lead, though the Cardinals (4-2) had one final chance. Quentin Snider’s 3-point attempt missed with four seconds left, Rodriguez grabbed his eighth rebound and the Pirates celebrated their second straight win over a ranked opponent (Texas Tech).

“Last week against Rhode Island [a 75-74 loss], I didn’t put it in his [Rodriguez’s] hands,” said Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard, a former Louisville assistant under Rick Pitino from 2001-07. “I made sure the rest of the year it would get in his hands at the end of the game.”

Khadeen Carrington had 18 points, Myles Powell had 13 including a key 3-pointer with 1:40 left and Angel Delgado had 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Pirates. Adel had 20 points and Snider 15 for Louisville.