HARTFORD, CONN. – Connecticut’s A.J. Price scored a game-high 23 points and Seton Hall couldn’t overcome a poor shooting first half as the #4-ranked Huskies defeated the Pirates, 76-61, in Hartford on Sunday.
Seton Hall (9-8, 0-5) was only 11-for-35 (31.4%) from the floor in the first half, while the Huskies shot an impressive 54.3% from the floor to give them a 42-26 lead at halftime. The Pirates actually outscored Connecticut in the second half, but couldn’t come back from the large deficit.
Sophomore Jeremy Hazell (Harlem, N.Y.) scored a team-high 20 points in the loss.
Price scored 14 of his 23 in the first half. UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet had a huge game with 15 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks.
Connecticut (16-1, 5-1) jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, but Seton Hall came right back with a quick 5-0 run capped by a Hazell three-pointer to give the Pirates their first lead of the game, 7-5. After the teams traded baskets, UConn went on a 6-0 run highlighted by an A.J. Price three-pointer to give the Huskies a 17-12 lead with 13:31 to go in the first half. On the ensuing possession, Robert Mitchell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) answered with a three-pointer of his own to make it 17-15, UConn.
Over the next 4:30, the Huskies gradually increased their lead to seven, 28-21. A Mitchell jumper made it 28-23, but Connecticut answered with a 12-1 run highlighted by a Jeff Adrien slam and another A.J. Price three-pointer, to give them a 40-24 lead with 2:29 before halftime.
Mitchell led the Pirates with 10 first half points and finished with 19 points for the game. The 6-foot-6 forward also added nine rebounds and two blocks in a strong overall effort.
Seton Hall started the second half on fire hitting their first three shots for a quick 6-0 run to pull the Pirates to within 10, at 42-32. Connecticut answered, however, with another Price three-pointer to push the UConn lead back to 15.
The Pirates started feeling the pressure of foul trouble early in the second half with Mike Davis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) picking up his fourth foul and Eugene Harvey (Brooklyn, N.Y.) picking up his third before the first media timeout.
Connecticut’s Craig Austrie hit a three-pointer to cap a 9-2 Huskies run to make the score 54-36 with 14:00 remaining in regulation.
Hazell got hot from three-point range late in the second half, hitting on consecutive possessions, but alas the effort came too late as Connecticut held on for the 76-61 victory.
Seton Hall shot much better in the second half (51.9%) and finished shooting 25-for-62 (40.3%) for the game.
With the loss, Seton Hall falls to 0-5 in BIG EAST Conference play for the first time since the 1985-86 season.
The Pirates will return home for the first of four straight games at the Prudential Center on Thursday, January 22. Seton Hall will host Providence with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Courtesy: Seton Hall Athletic Communications
