Playing in the same building where it clinched an NCAA Tournament berth last season, Seton Hall suffered a loss on Saturday that will make returning to the postseason much more difficult.
Seton Hall got 17 points from Desi Rodriguez and 14 from Khadeen Carrington, but still fell to St. John's, 78-70, at Madison Square Garden. The defeat comes just weeks after the Pirates blew out the Red Storm at home.
Angel Delgado had 13 points and 10 rebounds for yet another double-double and Michael Nzei had one as well with 11 points and 12 rebounds starting in place of injured forward Ishmael Sanogo. But Marcos LoVett had 19 points and Shamorie Ponds had 17 for St. John's, which was in control throughout the contest.
Seton Hall's Myles Powell hits OT game-winner
Seton Hall (15-9, 5-7 Big East) got the St. John's (12-14, 6-7 Big East) lead down to six points with a 6-0 run early in the first half, but that was a close as the Pirates would get as St. John's countered with an 11-2 run. Seton Hall was plagued by turnovers, 18 to be exact which turned into 30 points for St. John's.
The defeat puts Seton Hall's NCAA Tournament at-large hopes on life support. Home games against No. 23 Creighton, No. 2 Villanova, No. 24 Xavier and Georgetown loom even larger than before, as do road games at DePaul and No. 22 Butler.
The Pirates had won five straight contests at Madison Square Garden entering this game, including a victory over No. 16 South Carolina back in December and a Big East Tournament title game victory against eventual national champion Villanova last season.
Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Schneider. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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