VCU Rams vs Seton Hall Pirates Match Player Stats On Dec 09, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 9, 2017

NEWARK, N.J. -- Desi Rodriguez tossed in 17 points to lead No. 19 Seton Hall to a 90-67 win over Virginia Commonwealth University in the first game of the Never Forget Tribute Classic on Saturday at the Prudential Center.

Technically not a home game for Seton Hall, which was coming off impressive wins against formerly ranked Texas Tech and Louisville, the Pirates won their 21st straight game against non-Big East opponents at the Prudential Center. The Pirates (7-1) own a 64-8 record in nonleague games at Prudential.

All five Seton Hall starters scored in double figures. Myles Powell contributed 16 points, including 4-for-7 on 3-pointers. Angel Delgado recorded the 56th double-double in his career, accumulating 14 points and 13 rebounds. Michael Nzei tossed in 14 points and Khadeen Carrington added 13 points.

It marked the second time this season that Seton Hall scored at least 90 points. The Pirates knocked off Fairleigh Dickinson 90-68 in their opener.

Justin Tillman led VCU (5-5) with 20 points and seven rebounds. He has scored 20-plus points in four consecutive games.

A torrid second half from Seton Hall put the game away. The Pirates shot 63.6 percent (21 of 33) after halftime and led by double-digits the entire half.

The Pirates scored 52 points in the paint.

The Pirates hit six straight shots to start the second half, opening a 56-39 cushion, their largest lead to that point.

A traditional three-point play from Ismael Sanogo moved the Seton Hall lead to 67-47 with 10:11 to go.

Powell scored 11 points on 4 of 5 shooting to help the Pirates to a 43-30 lead at the break. The Rams shot just 33 percent in the half and led for just 1:06.

A 13-1 run over 5:35 enabled the Pirates to grab a 29-13 edge with 6:13 left in the half. Powell fueled the run with five points. The Rams failed to score a field goal in 6:06, missing all 10 shots.

NOTES: Seton Hall has its highest AP ranking since January 2015. It has not been ranked higher than 19 since 2001. ... Seton Hall wore the names of alumni who died in the 9/11 attacks on the back of its warmup shirts. ... The Never Forget Tribute Classic partnered with Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund in the support of the education of the children of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. ... This was the second meeting between the schools. The Pirates won 69-54 in 2011.