Seton Hall left it all on the court against Villanova, but the short-handed Pirates came up short despite a gutsy effort.
Backup guard Bryce Aiken led Seton Hall (9-3, 0-2 Big East) with 22 points in a 73-67 loss to the No. 22-ranked Wildcats (9-4, 2-1 Big East), on Saturday in Newark. Collin Gillespie scored 21 points for Villanova, Brandon Slater added 17 points. Justin Moore’s go-ahead jumper with 1:36 left to play propelled Jay Wright’s team to victory. Moore finished with 13 points.
Seton Hall has now lost their last two games playing with only eight players because of COVID-19 issues.
“We’re still in a good spot,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said. “We’re still a very good basketball team. Losing two games is not going to change that when you have eight guys.”
The margin of error for Willard’s team right now is razor-thin. The Pirates had three players foul out (Myles Cale, Alexis Yetna, and Tray Jackson). On rebounds, Villanova dominated Seton Hall, 42-28.
But credit Seton Hall for what they do best, they’re a resilient and gritty program. Villanova turned the ball over and uncharacteristic 17 times. Shorthanded or not, the Pirates made sure Wright’s team was in for a 12-round fight.
“There is no way we came in here thinking they are down two starters this is going to be an easy game,” Wright said afterwards.
Jared Rhoden added 13 points for Seton Hall. Jamir Harris chipped in with 12 points, all on three-pointers. After shooting 57.1% from the 3-point line (4 of 7) in the first half, the Pirates tailed off down the stretch, finishing at 7 for 19 (36.8%).
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