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VILLANOVA, PA. - The Seton Hall men's basketball team dropped its second straight road game with an 84-76 loss at Villanova on Wednesday at The Pavilion.

Sophomore Fuquan Edwin (Paterson, N.J.) led the Pirates with 14 points, nine rebounds and four steals, but was just 5-for-16 from the field.  Senior Jordan Theodore (Englewood, N.J.) had 13 points and a team-high eight assists with just two turnovers, but was just 2-for-16 from the floor.

Sophomore Aaron Geramipoor (Manchester, England) grabbed a rebound and scored to give the Pirates an early 9-8 lead with 13:49 to play in the first half, but Villanova responded with an 11-0 run capped by a three-pointer from Darrun Hilliard to give it a commanding 19-9 lead with 10:45 to go before halftime.

A layup by Herb Pope (Aliquippa, Pa.) with 7:45 remaining in the half ended a field goal drought of 6:04 for Seton Hall and pulled the Pirates to within 10 points at 23-13.

The first of two straight Brandon Mobley (Savannah, Ga.) three-pointers ended a streak of nine straight missed three-pointers by the Pirates to open the game.  Mobley's second three pulled Seton Hall to within seven at 26-19 with 6:20 remaining in the half.

Seton Hall would shoot just 29.0% from the field in the first half and were only 3-for-17 from three-point range, all three made by Mobley.  Despite the offensive woes, the Pirates found themselves down just nine at the half, 37-28.

The Pirates came out of the locker room in the second half a different team, connecting on their first three attempts from three-point range.  A three-pointer by Fuquan Edwin with 15:54 remaining pulled Seton Hall to within four points at 46-42.

After Villanova extended the lead again, the Pirates would pull to within five at 64-59 on a three-pointer by Haralds Karlis (Riga, Latvia).  But Villanova responded with a three-pointer by James Bell and a jumper by Maalik Wayns to give the Wildcats a 69-59 lead with just 4:02 left in regulation, a lead they would not relinquish.

Bell entered the contest averaging only 6.5 points per game, but would finish with 18 points in this game.  Last year, Bell scored 21 points off the bench to lift the Wildcats to a 60-57 victory at the Prudential Center.

Maalik Wayns led Villanova with 25 points and was 15-for-16 from the free-throw line.  Freshman JayVaughn Pinkston had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats.

The Pirates shot just 36.6% from the floor and were out-rebounded, 45-to-36.

With the loss, the Pirates fall to 15-4 overall and 4-3 in BIG EAST play.  It's the first time this year that Seton Hall has dropped back-to-back games.

The Pirates will return to action in one week, Wednesday, January 25, when they return to the Prudential Center to take on Notre Dame.  The Pirates are a perfect 10-0 at "The Rock" this season.  Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.  Tickets are still available and can be purchased at 973-275-HALL or www.SHUpirates.com.

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