Jared Rhoden scored 19 points and put the game away with a driving layup in the final minute to give Seton Hall a 65-60 win over host Creighton in the both teams’ regular-season finale Saturday afternoon in Omaha, Neb.
Alexis Yetna recorded an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double while Jamir Harris scored 14 and Tyrese Samuel 13 points for Seton Hall (20-9, 11-8 Big East), which heads into the Big East Conference tournament on a five-game winning streak.
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 17 points and eight rebounds for Creighton (20-10, 12-7) and Ryan Hawkins tallied 17 points and seven boards.
Seton Hall guard Kadary Richmond injured his right thumb four minutes into the game. He subbed out and did not return. In his place, Harris played a season-high 35 minutes at the point and scored 14 points with three 3-pointers. Seton Hall’s reserves outscored Creighton’s 38-2.
With the score tied at 15 eight minutes in, Creighton went on an 11-0 run propelled by 3-pointers from Trey Alexander and Alex O’Connell. Seton Hall answered with an extended 13-2 run featuring seven points from Harris.
By halftime Seton Hall held a 31-30 edge.
Creighton, though, held a 53-49 lead when Harris hit an NBA-length 3-pointer with 7:21 remaining to pull Seton Hall back to within a point. Thirty seconds later Yetna hit a triple of his own to give the Pirates the lead for good.
That turned into a 10-0 Seton Hall run when Rhoden sank a pair of jumpers and Creighton went almost 4 1/2 minutes without scoring.
Kalkbrenner’s 3-pointer ended the Bluejays’ drought, and with 2:13 remaining Creighton drew to within a point (61-60) when Hawkins drilled a 3-pointer.
But Rhoden drove inside for a lay-in with 59 seconds to give Seton Hall a 3-point lead, and Creighton missed its chances to tie before Samuel sank a pair of free throws with 3 seconds remaining.
