Edwin's Career-High 28 Leads Seton Hall Over DePaul
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Fuquan Edwin scored 24 of his career-high 28 points in the first half and No. 24 Seton Hall rolled to a 94-73 victory over DePaul on Tuesday night in its first game as a ranked team since 2001.
Jordan Theodore matched his career bests with 26 points and 11 assists as the Pirates (15-2, 4-1 Big East) won their fourth straight game - all in league play.
Herb Pope had 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Aaron Cosby added a career-high 15 points for Seton Hall, which shot 58.7 percent from the field.
Brandon Young had 16 points, and Cleveland Melvin and Worrel Clahar 14 apiece for DePaul (10-6, 1-3).
The Blue Demons, who have lost three of their last four, trailed by 21 points early in the second half and never got within nine the rest of the way.
Edwin hit 9 of 13 shots in the opening half in helping the Pirates take a 17-point halftime lead. He was stuck on his previous career high of 24 until making a 3-pointer late in the second half with his only shot in the final 20 minutes.
The last time the Pirates were ranked was Jan. 30, 2001, and they went on a five-game losing streak immediately after getting into the poll.
Seton Hall made sure that didn't happen this time with a remarkable first half in which even bad shots and non-shots found the hole.
Pope, the Pirates' power forward, banked in a 3-pointer and raised his hands to his head to show he indeed used the glass.
Theodore went one better. Trying to throw a pass off the backboard for an ally-oop to Edwin, the ball hit the glass and banked in. Theodore laughed.
DePaul used a 15-2 spurt to cut the lead to 68-59 on a two free throws by Melvin with 7:56 to go. After Pope was blocked inside, the Blue Demons had a chance to get within six but Young missed from 3-point range.
Theodore took over after that, scoring nine straight Seton Hall points to push the lead to 77-61 with 4:46 to play. Pirates coach Kevin Willard eventually cleared his bench.
Edwin was the story in the first half, scoring the Pirates' first eight points and 10 in a game-opening 13-4 spurt. DePaul got within 15-13 but Pope scored seven straight points for The Hall in a 12-2 burst and it was never close again.
DePaul has lost 33 games in a row to ranked opponents. Its last win over a ranked team was against Villanova in 2008.
© 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
