Seton Hall took the court against the Delaware Blue Hens earlier this evening and walked away with a decisive 81-68 victory.

The Pirates were led early on by the likes of Angel Delgado and Ish Sanogo. Through the first nine minutes, Delgado and Sanogo had already established the Pirates’ advantage on the boards combining for 10 rebounds.

The advantage the Pirates held on the offensive end of the floor down low was also displayed on the defensive end, as the Blue Hens struggled early on to even convert on close layups against the Pirates strong defense.

Coming out of the locker room in the second half, Madison Jones was very impressive scoring five of the first seven points for the Pirates on a 3-pointer and fast break off of a steal. In the rest of the second half, the Pirates began to struggle from the field while conversely, Delaware kept the game within reach by converting at the end of long possessions and getting to the line. At the end of the game though, Delaware was unable to get over the hump.

Delgado led the Pirates with 22 points and 15 rebounds, and guard Anthony Mosley leading the way for Delaware with 21 points.

Seton Hall carries their 9-2 record on the season into next weeks in state rivalry game against Rutgers on Friday evening at the Rock.

Three Things We Learned

Bench Play Will Become Important

As the level of competition will begin to get much steeper beginning with Rutgers next week in the Garden state Hardwood classic followed by the start to big east play, the bench will need to step up. With Veer Singh leaving, Desi Rodriguez remains the lone true wing player left on the roster. Eron Gordon and Myles Carter will see an increased role in the rotation, Gordon has shown some impressive flashes of offense while the Pirates would like to see Carter improve his play down low. With Jevon Thomas becoming eligible for the game against Rutgers the Pirates depth grows at the guard position.

Angel Continues to Impress

Tonight marked the 5th straight double double of the season and his career 30th for Angel Delgado. If Delgado can sustain his level of play, he has the potential to be a first team big east player. Not only has Delgado impressed through his double doubles, but he has also improved in areas where he used to struggle. Angel continues to slowly improve from the charity stripe which is important since he is fouled often. Another thing Delgado has improved on is finding open players on the perimeter when double teamed in the post.

Madison Jones may be the new Derrick Gordon

Last year when it appeared Seton Hall’s season was spiraling out of control with team chemistry problems after a blow out lose at home to Creighton, fifth year senior transfer Derrick Gordon held a team meeting. The leadership on and off the court of Derrick Gordon appeared to be what saved the Hall’s season from falling apart. While team chemistry does not seem to be an issue, Madison Jones constantly had a response when it appeared Delaware was cutting away at the Pirates lead. Seton Hall will need an upper clansman to stay composed and take up the leadership role in close big game situations.