NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Desi Rodriguez scored 23 points, keying a balanced scoring attack and leading No. 22 Seton Hall to a convincing 84-68 victory over Indiana in the Gavitt Tip Off Games on Wednesday night at the Prudential Center.
The victory was the third straight for the Pirates (3-0) to start the season.
Rodriguez was one of four Pirates to reach double figures. Angel Delgado added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Khadeen Carrington scored 17 points and Myles Powell tossed in 11.
Devonte Green paced Indiana (1-2) with 16 points and Robert Johnson added 12.
The Pirates jumped out to an impressive 10-2 lead over the first 5 minutes, thanks to Rodriguez, who scored six points.
Seton Hall held the lead for most of the half, but the Hoosiers went on a 12-5 run over 5:02 to take a 30-29 lead on two free throws from Juwan Morgan with 2:15 remaining. But the Pirates regained the lead on two free throws by Rodriguez with 10 seconds left to take a 33-32 halftime lead.
Green had 12 at the break to lead the Hoosiers.
After De’Ron Davis scored on a power move to start the second half, the Pirates went on a 10-0 run, with Delgado providing seven points on two baskets and three free throws. Carrington capped the run with a big 3-pointer from the far right corner, giving Seton Hall a 43-34 lead with 16:46 remaining, forcing Indiana coach Archie Miller to call a timeout before the media break.
Powell scored eight points in a span of 2:12 to push the Pirates’ lead to 53-39 with 13:51 left.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
The Pirates are the only Division I team to have three players who have scored 1,000 or more points during their career and all three (Rodriguez, Delgado and Carrington) all reached double figures Wednesday night, the first time in three games this season that all three scored 10 or more.
LONG RANGE PROWESS
Indiana sophomore Green nailed his first four attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. Green was the only Division I player in the nation to hit two shots from beyond half court last season.
WELCOME BACK
Former Seton Hall player Isaiah Whitehead was seated courtside. Whitehead, a unanimous first team All-Big East honoree two years ago as a sophomore, now plays for the Brooklyn Nets.
HOOSIER MILESTONE
Johnson became the 51st player in Indiana history to score 1,000 career points with a first half driving basket.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
It was the 53rd time in Delgado’s Seton Hall career that he collected double figures in points and rebounds, the top figure in the nation. Delgado led the nation in rebounding last season, grabbing 13.1 per game. Delgado is the only active Division I player with more than 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
EARLY RANKING
Seton Hall tipped off the new season with a national ranking for the first time since 2000-01, when the Pirates started the year at No. 10. The last time the Pirates were ranked was March 14, 2016. They moved from No. 23 to No. 22 in the AP poll this week.
THE BIG PICTURE
Seton Hall: It marked the first victory for the Pirates over the Hoosiers since March 23, 1989, when the Pirates shocked the Hoosiers 78-65 in the NCAA Regional semifinals en route to the Final Four and the national championship game loss to Michigan.
Indiana: The Hoosiers have struggled under first-year coach Miller, losing at home to Indiana State by 21 points and defeating Howard by only nine last Saturday.
UP NEXT: The Pirates host NJIT on Saturday before heading to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to face Rhode Island on Thanksgiving night.
The Hoosiers head back home to face South Florida on Sunday and Arkansas State next Wednesday.
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