After the unexpected loss at Rutgers on Dec. 16, No. 23 Seton Hall was hungry for a bounce-back performance. On Wednesday night, the team took care of business with an 89-68 win over Wagner at the Prudential Center. The Pirates’ offensive depth impressed, as all five starters scored in double figures for the second time this season.
Khadeen Carrington, who dropped a season-high 26 points while shooting 6-6 from three-point range, led the Pirates in the win. His performance from distance was the first time in Seton Hall history a Pirate made six three-point field goals without a miss, according to the team.
Carrington's performances this season have been subpar by his standards as he has moved to the point, evidenced by his averages 11.6 points per game and 21 percent three-point shooting heading into Wednesday's game. Last season, Carrington scored 17.1 points per game while shooting 38 percent from three.
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Carrington used the Rutgers loss to rebound and get his groove back against Wagner.
“If you want to be a great player you can’t dwell on bad games or bad losses,” Carrington said. “So that’s what I was trying to do just put that behind me.”
“I wanted him to be a leader these last few days,” coach Kevin Willard said. “I thought he came to practice very aggressive and focused and that rubbed off on our guys. I thought his mindset is what led him to this game.”
In the paint, Angel Delgado once again dominated, scoring 15 points to go with 10 rebounds and five assists. The double-double was the 58th of his career, but this was the first game of his career he recorded that stat line, displaying his all-around growth.
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The Pirates’ leading scorers this season, Desi Rodriguez and Myles Powell, also added 11 and 16 points, respectively. Rodriguez struggled from the floor, shooting 4-of-14, but made his mark on the defensive end with four blocks. Powell was active on offense, dishing out a career-high five assists to continue his breakout season.
Willard was also happy with his team’s performance following Saturday’s loss to Rutgers.
“The way we lost was disappointing and I thought it was important for our guys to clear their heads a bit,” Willard said. “I thought we came back and practiced with a focus again and I think the guys came in with that focus and did what they had to do.”
In their next matchup, the 10-2 Pirates will end their non-conference schedule against Manhattan on Friday, Dec. 23 at the Prudential Center.
Andrew Lombardo can be reached at andrew.lombardo@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @lombardo_andrew.
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