SPORTS WRAP
STORY & PHOTO BY WILLIAM HATHAWAY
The rivalry between Seton Hall and Rutgers was showcased yet again in the annual Hardwood Classic, which started with excitement and ended with one team clearly about the other.
This was a one sided game that Seton Hall dominated from start to finish. SHU took an 11-0 lead to start and never looked back, beating the Scarlet Knights 81-59. Leading the Pirates to victory was AJ Staton-McCray with 18 points and 5 rebounds, Adam Clark with 16 points, and Najai Hines with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks.
The Hall had 21 points off of turnovers and 52 points in the paint, shooting 64 percent from the field. Seton Hall is 10-1 on the year.
Leading Rutgers was Harun Zrno with 15 points, Dylan Grant had 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Lino Mark had 10 points. Rutgers only shot 41 percent as a team, and maybe the only good thing was that they won the battle on the glass 36-29. Rutgers is 5-6 as of press time.
Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway praised his team for the win and also appreciated the rivalry as being good for New Jersey.
As for the SHU women’s basketball team, they were home at Walsh Gym and defeated Auburn 69-63. Maria Valenzuela once again had a great game for Seton Hall with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Point guard Savannah Catalon added 15 points and 8 rebounds. Although the Pirates turned the basketball over 14 times, they had 18 points in the paint and outrebounded Auburn 33-19. The ladies are currently 6-3.
Also on the hardwood, the Essex County College women’s team got back on their winning ways by beating Raritan Valley College at home 69-53. Leading Essex County College was Gabriella Brown with 18 points, Essence Cushionberry with 13 points, and Natalie Fonseca with 10 points. ECC is 7-3 on the season.
Finally, while the Giants had a bye week, the Jets lost to the Jaguars 48-20. The big story of the weekend was a pair of torn ACLs, as Packers DE Micah Parsons and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes will be out indefinitely. Also, after a 16-13 loss to the Chargers, the Chiefs will miss the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
