Hoosier daddies
Hall’s second-half surge buries IU
The message was obvious. The reasoning was s i mple. Angel Del ga d o took just three f ield-goal attempts in the f irst half Wedne s d ay night, and Seton Hall failed to distance itself from Indiana. The correlation was clear.
“Get the d a mn ball inside,” Pirates coach Kevin Willard barked to his players at halftime.
The first five possessions of the second half were run through the senior big man, and Indiana’s upset hopes were cooked, as the Pirates cruised to a 84-68 victory in the third annual Gavitt Games in front of 8,452 at t he Prudential Center in Newark. Delgado ignited a 10-0 run to start the second half with seven straight points.
“S o met i mes yo u just need a friendly reminder that you got him down there,” Willard said with a smile. “It’s reminding the new guys when you come in the game and you’re in there with him, he’s really a security blanket.”
Delgado doesn’t demand the ball. He lets Willard do his dirty work, giving him a look when the time comes. His teammates listened to Willard, and Delgado did the rest.
He responded with his third double-double in as many games — his goal is to notch one in every game this season — producing 19 points and 11 rebounds. He didn’t just dominate by f inishing in the paint. Delgado also notched four assists, setting up teammates for big baskets.
“If the ball goes inside, it’s coming out 80 percent of the time,” he said. “They know how I am and they trust me throwing the ball inside, and I get to work.”
Fellow seniors Khade en Car ring ton and Desi Rodriguez followed Delgado’s lead, taking turns hammering Indiana. Carrington continued to look solid in his transition to point guard, producing 17 points and five assists. The 6-foot-6 Rodriguez, off to a sensational start, poured in a game-high 23 points in a variety of ways — he hit a pair of 3-pointers and got to the free-throw line six times.
“If he’s not a first team All-Big East player, I’d be surprised,” Indiana coach Archie Miller said.
With Indiana (1-2), rebuilding under Miller, unable to handle Del - gado unless it sent multiple defenders, it opened things up for Carrington, Rodriguez, and My les Powell (11 points) on the perimeter. The lead mush- roomed to 16 after a pair of Carrington free throws with 13:01 left, whipping the large and loud crowd into a frenzy, and Indiana never got closer than 10 the rest of the way.
It, however, wasn’ t a flawless victory. Set on Hall (3-0) allowed Indiana to hang around in the first 20 minutes despite leading most of the way. Each time the Pirates seemed in control, Willard went to his bench, and the Hoosiers made a run, eliminating deficits of eight and nine points. The defense, which allowed Indiana to shoot 49 percent from the field, isn’t up to par. And, yet, Seton Hall hasn’t gotten pushed, winning each game comfortably.
“They’ re going to be hard to deal with for a lot of reasons,” Miller said. “At the end of the day, they overwhelmed us.”