Whitehead, Carrington lead Seton Hall past Creighton 81-73
Seton Hall will face fifth-ranked and second-seeded Xavier, a 90-72 winner over Marquette, in the semifinals Friday night.
Postgame Quotes - Seton Hall
Postgame Quotes - Creighton
NEW YORK (AP) - NEW YORK (AP) — Isaiah Whitehead had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Khadeen Carrington scored 27 and Seton Hall ran off the final eight points for an 81-73 victory over pesky Creighton in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals Thursday night.
Carrington put the third-seeded Pirates (23-8) ahead for good with 50 seconds remaining, and Whitehead made several big plays down the stretch before sinking the clinching free throws. Seton Hall will face fifth-ranked and second-seeded Xavier, a 90-72 winner over Marquette, in the semifinals Friday night.
Cole Huff had a career-high 35 points for the sixth-seeded Bluejays (18-14), who have lost five of six. The only victory during that stretch came at home against last-place St. John's.
Huff, a transfer from Nevada, shot 7 for 11 from 3-point range to keep Creighton close in a matchup of teams that exceeded preseason expectations in the Big East. He also grabbed nine rebounds.
Carrington scored in the lane to give Seton Hall a 75-73 advantage. Reserve guard Derrick Gordon made a steal at the other end but missed two free throws. Whitehead, however, leaped high for the offensive rebound and was undercut by 7-foot center Geoffrey Groselle, who was whistled for his fifth foul.
Whitehead, a unanimous All-Big East selection playing just a subway ride from his Brooklyn home, came up holding his tailbone in pain. But he hit both free throws to make it 77-73.
The sophomore point guard blocked a shot on defense and pumped his fist after grabbing the rebound of Huff's missed 3. He made two more foul shots before Carrington, who waved his arms to urge on the cheering crowd, closed it out with a pair from the line.
Seton Hall, which led by 14 late in the first half, opened a five-point cushion with 2:06 left when Gordon drained a 3 off a pass from Whitehead, firing up the Pirates and their fans.
Groselle scored inside to tie it at 73 with 1:09 to play.
James Milliken connected on his 3 with 4:52 remaining to pull the Bluejays within three. Huff was fouled on a 3-point attempt and sank all three free throws to tie it at 63.
Whitehead hit a foul shot and Angel Delgado tossed in a baby hook, but Huff's career-best seventh 3 evened it again at 66.
Creighton came back by forcing turnovers during a fast-paced start to the second half. The Bluejays went ahead 52-51 when Seton Hall was called for goaltending on Malik Albert's fast-break layup, their first lead since 10-8.
Even with Delgado, the league's second-leading rebounder, limited to seven minutes on the floor because of two early fouls, the Pirates outrebounded Creighton 27-12 in the first half. With the Bluejays missing so many shots, there were plenty of chances on the boards.
Creighton, second in the Big East in field-goal shooting at 47 percent, went 10 for 30 (33.3 percent). Huff carried the Bluejays with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.
TIP-INS
Creighton: Huff's previous career high was 31 points for Nevada at Fresno State in January 2014. He hit six 3-pointers in that game.
Seton Hall: Whitehead had six assists. ... It's the first time since 2007 the top four seeds in the Big East Tournament have reached the semifinals. ... Creighton and Seton Hall split two regular-season meetings, each winning on the road by double digits
UP NEXT
Creighton: Heads home hoping for an at-large bid to a postseason tournament Sunday, perhaps the NIT.
Seton Hall: Split two games against Xavier this season, with each team winning at home.