Hall right at home
After his team played solid defense in a win over Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday, Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard knew his No. 15 Pirates had to keep up the pressure against Saint Peter’s.
“I thought if we could get them a little out of a rhythm, we’d be in good shape,” Willard said after his team held the Peacocks to just one field goal among their first 12 shots in an easy 84-61 win at the old on-campus Walsh Gym on Tuesday night.
“We played a little zone to make it difficult for them to shoot,” Willard said. “I loved the way we came out and played defensively.”
The Pirates’ stifling defense enabled them to take an 8-0 lead and cruise from that point on. Seton Hall managed to push Saint Peter’s farther and farther away from the basket with every possession.
“It was the same intensity that we had against VCU,” Willard said.
“Saint Peter’s likes to be able to run their own stuff and we didn’t let them do it,” said senior forward Angel Delgado, who scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the 57th doubledouble of his career. “We pressed. We played zone. They couldn’t run anything.”
“I think we set the tone defensively,” said senior Desi Rodriguez, who continued his fine play with 17 points. “We were able to close out, defend their shots and we were able to make some runs.”
Khadeen Carrington added 11 points and five assists, as Seton Hall (9-1) won for the 20th time in the last 21 meetings against the Peacocks (4-5).
Davauhnte Turner scored 13 points and Nick Griffin had nine to pace Saint Peter’s, whose coach, John Dunne, came away impressed with the Pirates.
“We had Terry Dehere [Seton Hall’s all-time leading scorer] in for a practice and I said to him that this was the best Seton Hall team since he was there,” Dunne said. “I don’t get overly impressed by watching other teams, but I’m impressed with these guys. They have all the pieces.”