Seton Hall kept it close for a half before the dam broke.
Playing in a very difficult road environment at Creighton, the Pirates trailed by just four points at halftime before losing, 79-54, their fifth straight defeat and 10th in 11 games. The Hall is now 6-14, 1-8 Big East.
Prince Aligbe led The Hall with 12 points and Garwey Dual had 10. Manny Okorafor tied his season-high with 8 points and 4 rebounds.
“When you’re losing and losing by a lot, I’m not really big with saying individual guys played a certain way,” Pirates coach Shaheen Holloway said on the radio.
Holloway said he had “no idea” when Coleman and Jenkins will be back, “but I hope sooner than later.”
The Pirates are likely to end up near the bottom of the Big East Conference and would have to play a first-round game in the conference tournament Wednesday, March 12.
Creighton became the first team since Michigan State in 2008-9 to beat the defending NCAA champions (UConn) and NIT champions (Seton Hall) and the No. 1 team in the land (Kansas).
Against Creighton (14-6, 7-2), the Pirates were without its top two scorers in Isaiah Coleman (back) and Chaunce Jenkins (knee). Eleven plays scored for Creighton, which outscored The Hall 41-20 in the second half.
Dylan Addae-Wusu did return after missing 13 days with a foot injury and notched 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist in 15 minutes. Holloway said Addae-Wusu insisted on playing because the team only had three guards.
“I respect that more than anything else,” Holloway said.
It was 38-34 Creighton at the half but the Bluejays opened the second half with a 9-0 run to go ahead 47-34 before Addae-Wusu hit a 3-pointer.
Creighton led by as many as 26 in the second half.
Ryan Kalkbrenner led the Bluejays with 23 points and 9 rebounds and Steve Ashworth scored 17 with 9 assists.
Creighton is among four Big East teams currently projected in the Field of 68. Mike DeCourcy of FOX has them as a 9 seed.
The Hall returns home to play Providence on Tuesday. The Friars on Saturday beat former coach Ed Cooley and Georgetown, 78-68, at The Amp.
“I gotta be honest and I don’t care who gets mad, these Saturday-Tuesday games gotta stop,” Holloway said. “We have them more than anybody.
“Everybody else, why is Creighton playing Wednesday? Why we can’t play Wednesday?…It’s played out and it’s corny but when it rains it pours.”
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.
Seton Hall’s struggles continued as they dropped their fifth straight game, falling to their opponent despite the absence of two key players. The team was already facing a tough stretch of games, but the absence of these players proved to be a major blow.
The missing players were instrumental in the team’s success earlier in the season, and their absence was clearly felt on the court. The team struggled to find their rhythm and were unable to overcome the deficit, ultimately falling short once again.
Despite the disappointing result, Seton Hall remains hopeful that they can turn things around and get back on track. With their key players hopefully returning soon, the team is looking to bounce back and get back to their winning ways.
Fans are eagerly awaiting the return of these players and are hopeful that their presence will provide the team with the boost they need to secure some much-needed wins. In the meantime, Seton Hall will continue to work hard and prepare for their upcoming games in hopes of breaking their losing streak.
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