Senior forward Herb Pope tallied a team-best 19 points and collected 14 rebounds to help the Seton Hall Pirates hold off the Pittsburgh Panthers 73-66 in a Big East Conference men's basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The victory allowed the Pirates (17-8, 6-7 Big East) to earn back-to-back victories for the first time in over a month, while the Panthers (15-11, 4-9) dropped their second straight.
Senior guard Ashton Gibbs netted a game-high 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting for Pitt, which led 61-55 with 8:12 remaining in the game.
However, a 10-0 run helped the Pirates take a 65-61 lead with just under five minutes to go. From there, Seton Hall cemented the victory once Pitt's Nabir Robinson fouled Pope too hard and was whistled for a flagrant foul. Pope made all four free throws, eliminating any chance of a late comeback from the Panthers.
Freshman guard Aaron Crosby netted 19 points, while senior guard Jordan Theodore scored 15 and dished out nine assists.
For more on Seton Hall basketball, check out the SB Nation blog South Orange Juice, while Cardiac Hill is all about the Pitt Panthers.