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Seton Hall hands No. 6 Villanova 1st loss

Jan 3, 2015 - 10:17 PM Newark, NJ (SportsNetwork.com) - Sterling Gibbs scored 20 points and came up with a steal late in overtime as the Seton Hall Pirates beat sixth-ranked Villanova 66-61 to deny the Wildcats their best start in school history.

Khadeen Carrington had a career-high 17 points off the bench for Seton Hall (12-2, 2-0 Big East), which posted its second straight win over a ranked opponent. The Pirates knocked off No. 15 St. John's 78-67 on Wednesday to begin Big East play.

"The fact we were able (to earn back-to-back conference wins) gives us confidence and shows that we're able to play with the best teams," Gibbs said.

Daniel Ochefu finished with career highs of 19 points and 24 rebounds to lead the Wildcats (13-1, 1-1), who were looking to become the first team in program history to open a season with 14 consecutive wins.

"Anytime we lose it's very disappointing, but we just got to take this as a learning experience," Ochefu said.

Villanova was limited to 31.0 percent shooting and missed 15 of its 35 free throw attempts.

Carrington drove in for a layup with the right hand, giving Seton Hall a 58-56 lead with 1:02 remaining. Villanova tied it on two Kris Jenkins free throws with 36 seconds left.

Gibbs then missed a runner with his left hand on the next Seton Hall possession. The game went to overtime when Darrun Hilliard's 3-point was short.

Carrington spun and hit a layup to put the Pirates up 62-61 with 1:38 remaining. After Ryan Arcidiacono couldn't finish on a drive, Carrington was fouled and sunk two free throws with 22.5 seconds left.

Arcidiacono then turned the ball over to Gibbs, and Jaren Sina made two foul shots as Seton Hall won its second straight game against Villanova.

The Pirates stunned the Wildcats on Gibbs' jumper at the buzzer in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament last season.

The Wildcats missed their first seven shots and fell behind 17-3 to the Pirates. They trimmed the deficit to 31-27 at halftime, then grabbed their first lead after Hilliard drained consecutive 3-pointers to begin the second half.

Game Notes

Brandon Mobley had 10 points, six rebounds, four blocks and three steals for the Pirates ... Seton Hall scored 18 points off 15 Villanova turnovers ... Hilliard was the only other Wildcats player to reach double figures in points, totaling 14.