Seton Hall’s dream season in the Big East ended with a conference tournament championship on Saturday. The Pirates outlasted top-seeded Villanova, 69-67, at Madison Square Garden to cap an incredible late season run to give the program its first NCAA Tournament berth in 10 years.
Seton Hall wins 2016 Big East Tournament championship
The Pirates have claimed their first Big East Tournament championship in 23 years.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Seton Hall led by 11 at halftime, but Villanova quickly got back into the game with a 14-2 run early in the second half. The game was tied heading into the final minute when Kris Jenkins gave ‘Nova the lead with a vicious step-back three-pointer. The Pirates would fight back, taking the lead for good on this incredible three-point play by star guard Isaiah Whitehead:
Whitehead, a sophomore point guard, did it all for the Pirates, leading the team with 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field. Desi Rodriguez added 12 points and Derrick Gordon chipped in 10 points for Seton Hall in the win.
Jenkins scored 23 points and added five rebounds, hitting 5-of-10 attempts from three-point range. Teammate Josh Hart added 17 points for the Wildcats in the loss.
It’s Seton Hall’s eighth win in its last nine games, and the Pirates’ first Big East Tournament championship since 1993.
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