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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) Seton Hall's postseason hopes are still alive, thanks to a big comeback and some late heroics by a couple of freshmen.
Angel Delgado grabbed a rebound and scored with 16 seconds to play and Seton Hall rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to defeat Creighton 67-66 on Saturday, snapping a six-game losing streak.
Delgado finished with 13 points - all in the second half - and 11 rebounds. Fellow freshman Khadeen Carrrington added 13 points, including six in the closing 2:40, as the Pirates (16-12, 6-10 Big East) rallied from five points down late to get back on the winning track.
''This just shows us we still have life at the end of the season and that we can still make a push,'' Carrington said. ''I think we had a rough patch but that's behind us now. We're looking forward.''
The Pirates only chance of making the NCAA tournament would be to win the Big East tournament. The better shot would be to win two more games and sneak into the NIT.
That won't be easy with Providence coming here Wednesday and then a regular-season closer at Georgetown followed by the conference tournament.
''It's not over,'' Pirates senior forward Brandon Mobley said. ''It's not over by a long shot. We know we can still make a push. It starts with one win.''
Austin Chatman, who had a game-high 23 points, had put Creighton ahead 66-65 with a jumper with 30 seconds to go but Delgado got the offensive rebound of an Isaiah Whitehead miss and scored.
''I am trying to get every rebound,'' said Delgado, whose 9.9 average leads the conference. ''I trust my teammates but I say if it is near me I have to get this rebound. I get it and put it back.''
The Bluejays (13-16, 4-12) had at least three chances underneath in the closing seconds but James Milliken and Geoffrey Groselle each missed one.
''At the end of the day we just have to finish the basket,'' Chatman said. ''We got some pretty good looks, we just could not get them to go in. There's not much more to say.''
It marked the second time this season that Seton Hall has beaten Creighton in the final minutes. Sterling Gibbs hit a game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds to play in a 68-67 win on Jan. 10.
Senior Haralds Karlis of Seton Hall matched his career high with 14 points, while Whitehead added eight points and seven assists.
Devin Brooks and Groselle each added 11 points for Creighton, which led by 14 points in the first half and was up 43-31 in the second when Seton Hall finally woke up.
A 16-5 spurt that Whitehead capped with a fadeaway jumper with 11:50 to go got the Pirates within 48-47. However, Seton Hall could not get over the hump.
Creighton built the lead back to 53-47 on a 3-pointer by Chatman and a layup by Milliken, but eventually tied the game for the first time at 55 on a 3-pointer by Carrington with 9:19 left.
The Bluejays regained the lead on a rebound follow by Zach Hanson and stretched the margin to 64-59 on a drive by Brooks.
That's when Carrington took over. The freshman scored in the lane twice and capped his own personal 6-0 run with two free throws to give Seton Hall a 65-64 edge with 1:22 to go.
Creighton had a shot blocked on its next possession, got an offensive rebound by Rick Kreklow after Milliken missed a 3-pointer and eventually took the lead on the basket by Chatman, who was 9 of 18 from the field, including 5 of 9 from long range.
Delgado came up big at the end.
TIP-INS
Creighton: Groselle had a career-high eight rebounds.
Seton Hall: Gibbs, the Pirates' leading scorer, sat out the second and final game of his suspension for striking Ryan Arcidiacono of Villanova in a game on Feb. 16.
UP NEXT
Creighton is at home to play No. 6 Villanova on Tuesday.
Seton Hall closes out its regular season at home when it plays host to Providence on Wednesday.
