Kadary Richmond muscled inside for a go-ahead layup with 30 seconds left to help Seton Hall stave off DePaul’s serious comeback effort and close out a 66-64 win Saturday night in Newark, N.J.
Jared Rhoden scored 18 points and hauled in a career-high 18 rebounds for Seton Hall (16-9, 7-8 Big East), which avoided a season sweep to DePaul and snapped a two-game skid. Alexis Yetna scored 12 points and Richmond added 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
The Pirates won despite DePaul leading scorer Javon Freeman-Liberty pouring in 20 of his game-high 22 points in the second half to carry the Blue Demons back from an early 12-point hole. After an 0-for-8 first half, Freeman-Liberty made 7 of 14 after halftime but missed two go-ahead shots in the final 10 seconds.
Brandon Johnson scored 15 points and made 10 of 11 foul shots for DePaul (12-14, 3-13), which lost its fourth straight. Courvoisier McCauley had 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Freeman-Liberty grabbed a steal and fed McCauley on the fast break to put DePaul ahead 62-61 with 1:38 to go. Seton Hall moved back in front on Tyrese Samuel’s two free throws. McCauley scored another layup to make it 64-63 DePaul at the 40-second mark, but Richmond posted up and maneuvered his way through two defenders in the paint to score the deciding basket.
Jamir Harris made one of two free throws in the final seconds, and Freeman-Liberty’s last-ditch shot missed the mark.
DePaul started the game 1 for 17 from the field and didn’t make its second field goal until there was 7:50 until halftime. That allowed Seton Hall to jump out to a 17-5 lead, with an 11-point run punctuated by Richmond’s fast-break dunk.
The Blue Demons clawed back by making free throws and getting 3-pointers from Jalen Terry and McCauley. But Samuel’s emphatic dunk with six seconds left gave the Pirates a 30-21 lead at intermission.
Freeman-Liberty was responsible for 12 straight DePaul points early in the second half, including a personal 8-0 run that brought his team within 40-39. Rhoden hit a 3-pointer, but Johnson answered with his own triple.
When Nick Ongenda made two foul shots with 6:04 left, DePaul earned its first lead of the night at 53-52. That came as part of a 9-0 stretch for the Blue Demons, featuring seven free throws. Jamir Harris drilled a leaning 3-pointer and Seton Hall made six free throws to move ahead 61-59 with 3:03 to go.
–Field Level Media
