Seton Hall shoots past Mount St. Mary's 78-55

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) Add Jamion Christian to the growing list of coaches who can attest to the talent on Seton Hall's freshmen-dominated roster.

''They're talented,'' the Mount St. Mary's coach said. ''That's a Top 25 team right there. I expect them to be ranked in there pretty soon. They're one of the best shooting teams in the country.''

Seton Hall freshmen Khadeen Carrington, Angel Delgado and Isaiah Whitehead led the way as Seton Hall shot 64.7 percent from the floor to open the season with its sixth straight victory, 78-55, over Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center.

Carrington, a 6-3 guard, came off the bench to hit all eight of his shots, pacing the Pirates with 16 points.

''I didn't know that I didn't miss until after the game,'' Carrington said. ''I tried to get some easy baskets with my steals. I knew we had talent. Everybody came in here being the man in high school. We just had to drop our egos. That's the key for us.''

Carrington also finished with four rebounds, three assists and three steals in his 23 minutes.

''That's where Khadeen is progressing to as a player,'' Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said. ''After missing the first four weeks of practice (with a heart murmur), he's starting to get his bounce back, starting to get a better feel.''

Delgado dropped in six of eight shots in collecting 13 points and nine boards and Whitehead hit four of seven attempts in netting 12 points. Junior guard Sterling Gibbs ended with 11 points.

Seton Hall (6-0) made 13 of the first 14 shots it took in the second half in taking a 72-46 advantage.

Will Miller scored 13 points to lead Mount St. Mary's (1-4).

Taking a 16-point lead into the second half, the Pirates put away any thoughts of a Mount St. Mary's comeback by scoring the first 11 points to build a 56-29 advantage. Gibbs started the run with a layup and closed it with a basket in the lane. After shooting 60 percent from the floor in the first half, the Pirates knocked down their shots at a 71.4 percent clip in the second half, sinking 15 of 21 attempts.

Seton Hall took charge of the game midway through the first half when it put together a 20-2 surge that staked the Pirates to a 41-19 lead with 3:23 left in the half.

Whitehead ignited the run with a spin move for a layup and later drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Carrington capped the surge with two steals that he converted into baskets, the second finished with a two-handed dunk.

In the first half, the 6-9 Delgado led the way with nine points, seven rebounds, an assist and two blocks. He made four of six shots from the floor as the Pirates shot 60.6 percent as a team (20 of 33). Carrington made all four of his shots, netting eight points and three steals over the first 20 minutes.

TIP-INS

Seton Hall: Junior guard Sterling Gibbs was named the Big East Player of the Week on Monday. Gibbs scored 40 points against Illinois State in leading the Pirates to the Paradise Jam championship.

LEADING AT THE BREAK

Seton Hall has led at the half in winning all six games it has played this season.

STILL STERLING AT THE LINE

Seton Hall guard Sterling Gibbs made both of his free throws in the game, giving him a streak of 21 straight foul shots made over the last three games.

Mount St. Mary's: Won the Northeast Conference Championship to earn an NCAA tournament appearance in 2014. Ten players on the current roster are listed at 6-6 or taller. This marks the first meeting between the teams since 1988.

UP NEXT

Seton Hall: Home Saturday vs. Rutgers

Mount St. Mary's: At Loyola Saturday