Seton Hall upsets Xavier, boosts hopes for NCAAs
Seton Hall not only wrote an apparent ticket to the NCAA tournament, it now has to be considered a legitimate threat to win the Big East postseason get-together.
Seton Hall not only wrote an apparent ticket to the NCAA tournament, it now has to be considered a legitimate threat to win the Big East postseason get-together.
Desi Rodriguez had career highs of 27 points and 12 rebounds, and Seton Hall all but clinched its first NCAA tournament berth in a decade with a stunning 90-81 victory over No. 5 Xavier in Newark, N.J., on Sunday.
"We still have to be selected," said sophomore point guard Isaiah Whitehead, who added 22 points for the Pirates (21-7, 11-5). "We still have two more games to go, but today was a huge, huge win."
What was remarkable was that Seton Hall dominated in knocking off Xavier (25-4, 13-4) just four days after the Musketeers upset No. 1 Villanova. It won the battle inside with Angel Delgado adding 17 points and eight rebounds, and it used a suffocating defense that made the Musketeers struggle to score until the game was out of reach.
"My motto is once we win they can't keep us out," Pirates guard Khadeen Carrington said. "I think 11 wins in the Big East should do it."
Pittsburgh 76, Duke 62 - Jamel Artis scored 17 points, and the host Panthers gave their NCAA tournament hopes a needed jolt as they dominated the No. 15 Blue Devils.
Senior point guard James Robinson added 14 points, seven assists, and three rebounds in his final home game at the Petersen Events Center as Pitt (20-8, 9-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) overwhelmed Duke (22-8, 10-6).
Michigan State 88, Penn State 57 - Denzel Valentine started slow and finished strong with 19 points, eight rebounds, and six assists to help the sixth-ranked Spartans beat the Nittany Lions in East Lansing, Mich.
Michigan State (24-5, 11-5 Big Ten) has won four straight and eight of nine. Penn State (15-14, 6-10) had won three straight and four of five, including victories over then-No. 4 Iowa and then-No. 22 Indiana.
Women
Villanova 66, Butler 46 -
Guards Adrianna Hahn and Alex Louin each scored 20 points off the bench for the Wildcats (19-10, 12-6 Big East). Villanova ended the regular season winning five of its last six games.
Drexel 69, William & Mary 53 - Guard Jessica Pellechio led the Dragons (16-12, 12-5 CAA) with 21 points and five assists off the bench. Forward Sarah Curran added 17 points for Drexel.