Twitter: @Pirateblue
The score read 8-6 with 15:38 on the clock in the first half. At that point, Seton Hall and Illinois State were getting a feel for one another. But from there, one player could not be touched. Junior guard Sterling Gibbs exploded for a career-high 40 points, the first Pirate to score at least 40 in a game since Jeremy Hazell in 2009, as SHU took down the Redbirds 84-80 in the Paradise Jam Championship Game.
It was the Hall’s first in-season tournament victory since the Pirates won the Philly Hoop Group Classic in 2008. It was the first eight-team tournament win for the blue and white since the 1988 Great Alaskan Shootout, a year that saw the Pirates advance to the national championship game.
Gibbs and the Pirates went on a 20-1 run that took up more than seven minutes following the first media timeout. He scored 15 of Seton Hall’s first 23 points, but that was only the beginning of his night.
Down 32-13 with just over five minutes to play in the first half, the Redbirds looked down and out. They did not go away, as Bobby Hunter and Daishon Knight cut the deficit to 13 with 2:21 to play in the first stanza. It was part of a 14-9 spurt for the Redbirds that helped them to take some of the momentum back for Seton Hall, which led 41-27.
Illinois State kept its foot on the gas pedal to start the second half, with Hunter nailing one of his four three-balls to make the score 41-32 in favor of the blue and white. The duo of Gibbs and Jaren Sina followed with five straight of their own, making the lead 14. Sina finished with 11 points on 2-of-2 shooting from three-point territory.
The key moment came at the halfway point of the second half. The Redbirds cut the Pirates’ lead to seven with a three-pointer from Tony Wells. But, when The Hall needed a big shot, it kept riding the hot hand of Gibbs. The junior knocked down two treys in the next minute and 13 seconds to give SHU a 59-46 advantage with 10:54 to play in regulation.
Just over three minutes later, Illinois State crept back within striking distance, cutting the lead to just six. It was a case of déjà vu all over again, as Gibbs knocked down another three-ball to lift SHU’s lead to 62-53.
The Redbirds got within five with 44 seconds left, but the Pirates finished 7-of-8 from the free throw line, sealing the deal on the title.
Gibbs was the Paradise Jam MVP, finishing with a mark of 10-14 from the field. He was also a perfect 13-13 from free throw territory. Freshman Isaiah Whitehead finished with 18 points and six assists while Desi Rodriguez made the all-tournament team.
The Hall is 4-0 for the first time since 2009 and will welcome George Washington on Saturday at 4 p.m. when they return home to the Prudential Center.
John Fanta can be reached at john.fanta@student.shu.edu and on twitter @John_Fanta
