Crucial Test Is Passed by Seton Hall

Seton Hall Coach Tommy Amaker said his team was at a crossroads last week after its loss to Georgetown and Syracuse next on the schedule.

With freshman forward Eddie Griffin coming within two blocked shots of a triple-double, the No. 18 Pirates made it through the trouble, defeating the No. 8 Orangemen, 77-65, Sunday at East Rutherford, N.J.

“I think the kids sensed it and we saw that kind of effort,” Amaker said, referring to how important he thought the game was.

The loss to Georgetown was the third in four games for Seton Hall, 12-5 overall, 3-3 in the Big East, and dropped the Pirates to 1-4 against ranked opponents. Even though the NCAA tournament is a long way off, the game was considered a must-win for them.

Griffin finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots. The loss ended a six-game winning streak for the Orangemen (15-2, 4-1).

No. 3 Michigan State 71, Ohio State 56--The Spartans had no trouble extending the nation’s longest home winning streak to 40 games.

Michigan State (15-1, 4-1 in the Big Ten) was led by Jason Richardson, who scored 24 points. The Buckeyes (12-6, 3-3) stayed close for the first 25 minutes, but eventually fell to the Spartans’ superior talent.

No. 10 Wake Forest 71, Clemson 63--The Demon Deacons (14-3, 3-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) extended their home winning streak to 13 games and defeated the Tigers (10-8, 1-4) for the fifth consecutive time and 18th in their last 22 meetings. Will Solomon, who leads the ACC in scoring at 21.6 points a game, led Clemson with 30 points.

No. 12 Maryland 75, North Carolina State 61--The Terrapins (14-4, 5-1) matched their best six-game ACC start and did it without much help from leading scorer Juan Dixon, who injured his tailbone during practice Saturday and didn’t play in the second half at Raleigh, N.C.

Dixon, averaging 24.2 points in conference play, finished with two free throws against the Wolfpack (9-7, 1-4).