With the Big East tournament less than a week away, the Pirates looked to earn a much-needed win against the Blue Jays at Prudential Center on Tuesday, March. 4, but ultimately lost, 61-79.
The Creighton and Seton Hall men’s basketball teams have had quite different seasons this year. In their final home game of the season, Seton Hall entered this game with a conference record of 2–16 and an overall record of 7–22. Despite having a tough year in which they have lost their last three games, the Pirates did manage to show they are capable of strong performances after defeating the UConn Huskies, 69-68, after a thrilling fourth quarter and overtime comeback last month.
Despite dropping three of their last five games, including an uncharacteristic double-digit loss to Xavier on Saturday, March. 1, Creighton entered this game as the third-best team in the Big East. With an overall record of 20–9, the Blue Jays were led by center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who averages 20 points per game—the second-highest in the conference—on 63% shooting, the best field goal percentage in the conference.
It was a poor offensive start from both teams in this game, with Creighton and Seton Hall going 2-7 and 1-8, respectively, through the first five minutes. Dual opened the scoring for the Pirates with a 3-pointer while Kalkbrenner responded with an easy layup underneath the basket. After being down early, the Blue Jays took a three-point lead with 13 minutes to play following back-to-back 3-pointers by sophomore forward Jasen Green and junior forward Jackson McAndrew.
Midway through the first half, Creighton led 12-9, shooting 42% (5-12) from the field while the Pirates shot just 20% (3-15). Kalkbrenner and Seton Hall’s sophomore guard Isaiah Coleman each led their teams with four points.
With less than eight minutes left in the half, an and-one 3-pointer by freshman guard Fedor Zugic put the Blue Jays up by nine, 20-11, before a media timeout. He hit the ensuing free throw, giving Creighton their first double-digit lead of the game. An alley-oop from senior guard Jamiya Neal to Kalkbrenner extended their lead to 12, prompting a Seton Hall timeout just a minute later. Following the timeout, the Blue Jays continued to dominate as another 3-pointer from Green put Creighton ahead by 15, making them lead 29-14 with five minutes to go in the half.
Although back-to-back 3-pointers from Seton Hall’s sophomore forwards David Tubek and Scotty Middleton briefly brought the lead under double-digits, McAndrew hit his third 3-pointer of the half to take a 35-22 lead for Creighton to end the first half.
At halftime, McAndrew led all scorers with nine points, while Kalkbrenner had seven for Creighton. For Seton Hall, Middleton led with eight points while Coleman had six. Addae-Wusu also grabbed five rebounds in the half and Creighton’s senior guard Steven Ashworth had six assists.
Down by double-digits, Seton Hall started pressing in the second half. While this disrupted Creighton’s offensive rhythm, the Blue Jays still extended their lead to 19 with 14 minutes remaining after McAndrew hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game. Just a minute later, Creighton took a 22-point lead following an off-the-dribble 3-pointer by Ashworth, making it 51-29.
With just under eight minutes left in the game, the Pirates continued to press Creighton, hoping to force them into turnovers and mount a comeback. But it was to no avail, as Creighton extended their lead to as much as 23 points late in the second half. Although a 3-pointer by Addae-Wusu brought the lead back down to 16 with four minutes left, Creighton regained their 20-point lead after a 3-pointer from McAndrew, his fifth of the game.
Kalkbrenner led all scorers with 20 points on 69% (9-13) shooting from the field, leading the Blue Jays to a 79-61 victory. Coleman had 18 points for the Pirates, scoring 12 of them in the second half alone.
In celebration of senior day, seniors Addae-Wusu, Yacine Toumi, and Chance Jenkins, who missed his tenth straight game due to a knee injury, were honored before the game. After the loss to Creighton, Addae-Wusu reflected on where the team goes from here.
“We have to let this one hurt,” Addae-Wusu said. “But the games keep coming, so [we need to] regroup and go back to the drawing board, and find ourselves again.”
As one of the team’s leaders, Addae-Wusu added that he has encouraged his teammates to maintain “the Seton Hall mentality” despite such a tough season.
“Just don’t quit,” he said. “Step on the court and give it your all [every] time.”
Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway also reflected on the loss, saying that the team is far better than their record shows.
“I just know that this team is better than what we showed this year,” Coach Holloway said, “and that’s the frustrating part. We had some good moments, [but] we just can’t finish it out.”
He also took a moment to thank the fans who have continued to show support for the team throughout the season.
“I want to say thank you to the faithful fans that [have] been coming out,” he said. “It’s been a tough year, and they’ve been here.”
Coach Holloway also said that despite the rough year, the team is “going to be back” and fans should “believe that.”
With the Big East tournament starting on Wednesday, March 12, Coach Holloway issued a warning to other teams in the conference who might overlook the Pirates.
“This team plays hard,” he said, “and I’d be willing to bet that not too many teams want to play us in the tournament because of [that].”
After a tough 81-50 loss to the UConn Huskies in their final game of the regular season on Saturday, Mar. 8, the Pirates now hold a 7–24 overall record while going 2–18 in conference play. They will take on the sixth-seeded Villanova Wildcats on Wednesday, Mar. 12 at Madison Square Garden for the first round of the Big East Tournament.
Zachary Mawby is the head editor for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
