NEW YORK — Less than two week after topping No. 5 Xavier in Newark to assure themselves a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the Seton Hall Pirates bested their conference rivals once again to punch their ticket to the Big East Tournament final.
Khadeen Carrington followed up a strong game in the quarterfinals with an excellent first half as the Pirates took a commanding lead before sweating it out in the second half en route to topping Xavier, 87-83, in the Big East Tournament semifinals at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
Seton Hall led by as much as 17 points in the first half before foul trouble and a Musketeer resurgence cut the lead to four points before the Pirates countered with a 14-5 run that put them back in control with Carrington, Isaiah Whitehead, Angel Delgado and Desi Rodriguez all making key plays.