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South Florida vs. Seton Hall recap: Pirates finish non-conference with strong win over USF

Seton Hall used a hot start, great passing and solid defense to defeat South Florida 66-49. The Pirates finish non-conference play with a 10-2 record and now get a nice holiday break before Big East play.

Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

1) Pirates win was led by great passing and team play

Isaiah Whitehead struggled shooting the ball all night, but still made an impact on the game. The point guard’s passing was important as Whitehead had a career-high 10 assists to go along with his six points. The Pirates had 21 assists as a team and 26 field goals, which shows you how impressive that passing was tonight. Seton Hall shared the ball extremely well and everyone on the floor was looking to find a teammate in a better position to score.

Khadeen Carrington and Derrick Gordon had a combined 15 points and six assists in the victory as they were able to help get others involved on the offensive end as well.

2) Defense down low has been key all season

The frontcourt for Seton Hall continues to play well on both ends of the floor. For The Hall, Michael Nzei, Ismael Sanogo and Angel Delgado have been solid down low all season and tonight was no exception. The Pirates were able to force the Bulls to take tough outside shots, especially at the beginning of the game.

Seton Hall started the game on a 14-0 run because of solid defense in the paint forcing USF to take bad shots. The Bulls were scoreless for the first 10 minutes of this game and that set the tone for how this one would go for both teams.

3) Delgado and Singh stood out tonight

Delgado picked up his fifth straight double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in addition to being solid defensively. The Pirate sophomore has found the form that he had last season and will need to continue to play well during the Big East season.

Freshman Veer Singh had a career-high 12 points on 4-6 shooting from behind the arc. His teammates were finding him in great spots on the floor and Singh was able to find his stroke. Singh is one of the few sharpshooters on this Seton Hall team so whenever he makes an impact it is vital to the Pirate offense. Coach Kevin Willard has said on occasion how good Singh will be after he recovers from the wrist injury he was dealing with earlier in the season. It looks like we are starting to see what Willard was talking about.

Seton Hall will now enjoy the holiday break before tipping off Big East play on December 30th against Marquette in Milwaukee.