Seton Hall controls Rutgers in Garden State Hardwood Classic
New starting lineup comes out flat
Steve Pikiell decided to change up the starting lineup for the second time in as many games, and it could not have gone worse for the Scarlet Knights. Seton Hall jumped out to an 11-0 lead just three minutes in, led by suffocating defense.
Turnovers were the catalyst, as Adam Clark came up with three quick steals of Tariq Francis, leading to six Pirates points. Francis was replaced by Jamichael Davis, who also turned the ball over twice in his first few possessions on the floor.
At the under-16 timeout, Rutgers was 0-5 from the floor with six turnovers. Harun Zrno finally got the Scarlet Knights on the board with a free throw after a five-minute scoring drought to open the game.
Another drought puts Rutgers in halftime hole
Following a Harun Zrno three-pointer to cut the deficit to one, the Scarlet Knights offense vanished yet again. Rutgers failed to score for the following 5:25, and Seton Hall took advantage.
AJ Stanton-McCray scored eight points to power the run for the Pirates, and the lead ballooned to 16. Free throws from Lino Mark ended the dry spell for the Scarlet Knights, and they went into halftime down by 14.
Scarlet Knights fail to break through in second half
Rutgers played a more competitive second half, but were unable to truly threaten the Pirates lead. Harun Zrno and Lino Mark continued to perform well for the Scarlet Knights, and Dylan Grant started to contribute. Despite more inspired play to start this half, Rutgers failed to get any closer than eight.
Once Lino Mark left the game due to injury, it was lights out for the Scarlet Knights. After cutting the lead to eight, Seton Hall finished the game on a 34-18 run.
Harun Zrno scored 15 points, hitting four threes in a team-high 35 minutes. Lino Mark finished with 10 points in just 19 minutes of action. Dylan Grant added 12 points and six rebounds. Tariq Francis and Jamichael Davis combined for nine turnovers.
Injury Update
About halfway through the second half, point guard Lino Mark left the game with an apparent non-contact injury. He walked to the locker room under his own power, but did not return to the game.
