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Seton Hall Pirates Dominate Against NJIT Highlanders | Photo by Juliette Patel

Men's Basketball takes down Highlanders behind career night from Aligbe, 67-56

On Dec. 4 at the Prudential Center, the Pirates faced a familiar foe as they took the court against the NJIT Highlanders and former Seton Hall player and Associate Head Coach Grant Billmeier. The Hall defeated the Highlanders 67-56, as Prince Aligbe recorded a career night with 19 points on 75% shooting, eight rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Supporting Aligbe’s scoring efforts were Dylan Addae-Wusu with 12, and Garwey Dual with 11.

On the Highlanders’ side, Tariq Francis dominated from beyond the arc, sinking five threes with   41.7% accuracy from beyond and leading scoring for both teams with 23 points. Despite a strong defensive showing from the Pirates, forcing 15 turnovers on NJIT, Francis continued to be lethal on the attack.

“We game-planned a lot of the shots he took,” Coach Shaheen Holloway said. “He made some tough shots and he drove the basketball, and I thought that was a difference… I think we still did a good job; they scored 56 points.”

Aligbe would kick the game off with a bucket in the paint off a dish from Chaunce Jenkins.

The Highlanders would get scrappy early on, tallying three fouls in just over a minute of play, leading to free throw buckets from Dual and Aligbe. The Pirates extended the lead to 6-0 with a layup from Emmanuel Okorafor assisted by Isaiah Coleman. Dual orchestrated a five-point sequence with two layups, one on transition and an and-one off a steal. 

The Pirates continued the onslaught in the early game, leading by 14 only five minutes into the first half. NJIT would end The Hall’s 16-2 scoring run-off triples from Ari Fulton and NJIT ace Francis, causing the Pirates’ lead to fall to 11. 

Francis continued to make it rain, dropping another trey on the Pirate defense, followed by a far-out jumper cutting The Hall’s advantage to eight. Addae-Wusu brought the Pirate lead back to double-digits with a three-ball assisted by Dual. 

Francis continued to keep the Highlanders within striking distance, pummeling the Pirates from deep, accounting for little less than half of NJIT’s scoring in the first half. With 11 seconds left in the contest, NJIT would only trail by four following two charity stripe points from Tim Moore.

At the half, Dual was the top scorer for the Hall with 10, followed closely by Aligbe with nine on 80% shooting. Francis led NJIT with 13 points and three rebounds, shooting 41.7% from the field.

NJIT scored the first points of the second half, with a layup from Levi Lawal dwindling the Pirate lead to two. The Pirate lead climbed back up again following a layup from Okorafor off a pass from Coleman. 

The Pirates got into foul troubles early, recording four fouls within five minutes. Francis’ first triple of the half would decrease the Pirate lead to four again. The Pirates responded with two at the rack from Coleman off a pass from Addae-Wusu. 

The Pirates hit the penalty with 11 minutes left. Francis continued to be unstoppable from the 3-point line, cutting the Hall’s lead to two halfway through the period. 

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Aligbe retaliated with a thunderous dunk, increasing the lead up to four. Coleman sunk a key three with seven minutes remaining to increase Pirate advantage to ten, the largest gap of the half. 

NJIT would continue the assault with a five-point scoring run, but it was broken up by a fast-break dunk from Addae-Wusu facilitated by Aligbe. Another slam from Aligbe gave the Pirates a 12-point lead with two minutes of play remaining. Aligbe attacked yet again with his third and final dunk of the night, recording the final points of the game putting the Pirates comfortably above the Highlanders as time expired.

This showdown between New Jersey neighbors showed glimpses of a well-oiled Pirate machine. 

Aligbe commented on the team’s offensive growth saying: “It’s a mixture of that [the growth of the team], understanding the details, where I’m supposed to be on offense, watching film on my own, really understanding my teammates… everybody’s learning, it’s a part of the game…  you can’t stop, work’s always supposed to be done.”

Coach Holloway also emphasized that this game was a growth opportunity, calling the team “to continue to keep growing the offense.”

The Pirates’ current record is 5-5, with conference action to come soon. The Garden State Hardwood Classic fast approaches with the Hall slated to face off against state rival Rutgers on Dec. 14  at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

Christian Hui is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at christian.hui@student.shu.edu.

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