BOX SCORE (.html)

BOX SCORE (.pdf)

NEWARK, N.J. – Sophomore Jeremy Hazell’s (Harlem, N.Y.) 28 second half-points lifted the Seton Hall men’s basketball team to a 70-67 victory over in-state rival Rutgers on Thursday night. Hazell scored a game-high 35 points on 10-of-17 shooting and had a career-high 10 rebounds to help the Pirates improve to 11-9 overall and 2-6 in the BIG EAST.

Junior Robert Mitchell (Brooklyn, N.Y.), the only other SHU player in double-figure scoring, had 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Junior Eugene Harvey (Brooklyn, N.Y.) netted nine points, handed out nine assists, and grabbed five boards.

The Pirates turned a one-point halftime deficit into a 39-31 lead after Harvey turned a Scarlet Knight (9-12, 0-8) turnover into an easy score with 16:05 left in the second period. Gregory Echenique’s second chance put-back pulled Rutgers within five, but Seton Hall scored the next five points to take its largest lead of the game, 50-40, with 11:52 on the clock.

After Mike Rosario knocked down a pull-up jumper to cut the SHU lead to 53-49, a put-back from Mitchell and a pair of free-throws from Hazell brought the cushion back up to eight with 6:53 to go in regulation.

Hazell scored the next six Pirate points, but the Scarlet Knights stuck around and never trailed by more than two possessions down the stretch.

With the score 70-65 and eight seconds remaining, Mitchell fouled Rosario on a three-point attempt, and Rosario hit 2-of-3 from the charity stripe to make it a three-point game.

Seton Hall tried a long pass on the ensuing inbounds play, but the ball sailed out of bounds giving Rutgers the ball back with five seconds left. Anthony Farmer pushed the ball up the right side of the floor, but Paul Gause (Pittsgrove, N.J.) deflected a pass attempt and the Scarlet Knights could not get a final shot off.

The teams traded buckets early in the first half before Rutgers went on a 9-0 run to take a 17-10 lead, and Farmer pushed the advantage to 25-17 three minutes later with a layup. The Pirates closed the half on a 9-2 run, capped by a Mike Davis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) layup with 35 seconds before the break as the Scarlet Knights took a 27-26 lead into the intermission.

Rosario led four Rutgers players in double-figure scoring with 25 points. Echenique had all of his 13 points and eight rebounds in the second half.

Seton Hall was an efficient 14-of-17 from the foul line, and shot 42.6 percent from the floor compared to 40.7 percent for the Scarlet Knights.

The Pirates return to Prudential Center to face-off against St. John’s on Thursday, February 5, at 9:00 p.m.