Junior Angel Delgado scored 16 points, none bigger than his hook shot jumper with 49 seconds remaining to lift Seton Hall to a 60-57 victory over California at the Pearl Harbor Invitational in Bloch Arena. Delgado finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds for his third consecutive double-double.
The Pirates improved to 7-2 on the young season and earned a big neutral site win over a fellow Kenpom top-50 team in the Golden Bears, who fell to 7-2. The invitational is being played to help honor and memorialize the tragic attack on Pearl Harbor, which claimed the lives of over 2,400 Americans.
“It was a great honor to play at Pearl Harbor and play on the 75th anniversary,” Pirates coach Kevin Willard said by text. “It’s always special when you get to play in front of the men and women who provide the freedom to play this great sport. It’s an experience that will last a lifetime.”
In addition to Delgado’s performance, junior Desi Rodriguez scored 15 points, including an electric dunk in the second half, and junior Khadeen Carrington added 14 points. Although he did not score a single point, junior Ismael Sanogo played strong defense all night, helping hold Cal’s Ivan Rabb to eight points on 3-of-8 shooting.
HOLY MOLY! #DunkinDesi with AUTHORITY! #HALLin #PearlHarbor https://t.co/0tAfJ5llPv
— Seton Hall MBB (@SetonHallMBB) December 8, 2016
After trailing by three at halftime, the Pirates took the lead for good, 47-45, with 9:44 remaining in the second half after Carrington came up with a steal and a layup.
Nursing a one-point lead, 56-55, the Pirates got the ball back on a Rabb turnover after senior Madison Jones disrupted him. The Hall gave the ball to Delgado, who had it inside the paint and made a power move over his defender for a jump hook that found the bottom of the net, giving the Pirates the three-point lead, 58-55.
Rabb came back down with a bucket, and then the Golden Bears fouled with under 30 seconds to go, sending Carrington to the free throw line. Carrington sank one of two for a two-point lead, 59-57.
What did it mean to @desirodriguez6 to dunk for the troops today? Hear what he had to say. #HALLin #PearlHarbor https://t.co/E9AmeRot3O
— Seton Hall MBB (@SetonHallMBB) December 8, 2016
The Pirates defense came up with one more big stop as Carrington again stripped Cal’s Charlie Moore, though the Pirates would then turn the ball back over to the Golden Bears. Jabari Bird missed a three-point attempt, Delgado came up with the defensive rebound with just over two seconds to go, was fouled and then sank one of two free throws to seal it as Bird’s desperation attempt missed at the buzzer.
Next up for Seton Hall is a date with No. 20 South Carolina on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
Photo: Seton Hall Basketball
