Gary Phillips/Sports Digital Editor
It was all Seton Hall on Sunday when the men’s basketball team took on the Caldwell Cougars, winning by a final score of 96-68 in the Hall’s lone exhibition game this preseason.
The stands were packed at Walsh Gym as fans filed in for their first opportunity to see the Pirates’ highly-regarded freshmen class, especially Isaiah Whitehead. The crowd erupted when the Big East preseason Rookie of the Year was announced.
The Pirates starting lineup saw guards Whitehead, Jaren Sina and Sterling Gibbs and forwards Brandon Mobley and Angel Delgado take the court.
The end result might have been a blowout, but things were not easy for the Pirates the entire way. The Cougars demonstrated strong ball movement in the first half as the team combined for 12 assists. They also out-rebounded the Pirates 20-19. The biggest difference-maker was Neptune, N.J. native Michael Balkovic, who put up 18 points for the Cougars while grabbing eight boards in the half.
Seton Hall came away from the half with a 41-39 lead, thanks in huge part to the 13 points that came from Gibbs. Sina also provided seven points on 3-5 shooting and Whitehead added eight of his own, though he would not score again in the second half. He finished 3-12 from the field, but also had five assists and three steals.
Despite the lack of offensive production from the McDonald's All-American, Seton Hall took off in the second half, opening the period with 10 unanswered points. From there the blue and white would dominate.
Sina would match his first-half point total, finishing 3-5 from downtown and 5-7 overall while recording five assists as the Pirates’ primary ball-handler. Gibbs ended up 7-8 with 19 points.
The Pirates had several big men contribute under the basket. Mobley pulled in nine rebounds while red shirt freshman Rashed Anthony had five blocks. Delgado shined down low, grabbing seven off the glass and scoring 14. He also had three blocks.
Perhaps the most impressive player on the court was freshman Desi Rodriguez. The forward from the Bronx accumulated 10 rebounds and 14 points, finishing with a double-double in just 13 minutes of play off the bench.
Next up is Seton Hall’s regular season opener, which comes on Sunday, Nov. 16 when the Hall takes on Mercer at the Prudential Center. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m.
Gary Phillips can be reached at gary.phillips@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @GPhillips2727.
