Mercer falls to Seton Hall

NEWARK, N.J. -- Brandon Mobley knew that his role this season was going to change with the Seton Hall basketball team.<br /> <br /> "It's my senior year and it's my turn to step up and lead the team," said Mobley, who scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Seton Hall's 63-47 win over Mercer Sunday afternoon. "I worked really hard to get ready for this season. It's my time."<br /> <br /> Mobley suffered through a serious shoulder injury that eventually required two surgeries, but he showed no signs of that Sunday, connecting on 7-of-9 from the floor, including all four of his 3-point attempts.<br /> <br /> "This is what I envisioned Brandon doing," Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard said. "Not only shooting the ball, but getting assists, playing defense. I think Brandon has turned the corner with his leadership. He knows he has to lead these young guys and has done a good job with that."<br /> <br /> Junior guard Sterling Gibbs added 17 points in the season opener for the Pirates, who introduced their new roster that includes highly touted freshman guard Isaiah Whitehead, who struggled a little in his debut, connecting on just one-of-10 shots, scoring just two points.<br /> <br /> "Isaiah played terrible," Willard said. "And he knows he was terrible. I went and looked at every freshman in the league and not one guy played well. He's a big-time player with big-time talent. He has a huge learning curve. He also has a little bit of a target on his back. You have to remember he's just a freshman."<br /> <br /> The Pirates took the lead for good courtesy of a 13-0 run over a five-minute span of the first half. Whitehead scored his first career points on a left-handed drive and fellow freshman Angel Delgado added five points during that stretch. Delgado was impressive in his debut, scoring eight points and adding 12 rebounds.<br /> <br /> "Angel has the knack of getting to rebounds," Willard said. "He's Dennis Rodman. That's what he does. He goes and gets rebounds.<br /> <br /> The Pirates led 35-24 at the half and pushed the lead to 44-31 with 13:37 remaining on a rebound basket from Mobley.<br /> <br /> Sophomore guard Jaren Sina canned a 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 61-42 with 1:05 remaining.<br /> <br /> Mercer (1-1) was led by Ike Nwamu, who had 20 points, the lone Mercer player to reach double figures.<br /> <br /> TIP INS:<br /> <br /> MERCER: The Bears have freshman Jordan Strawberry on their roster. The 6-1 guard from Los Angeles is the son of former MLB All-Star Darryl Strawberry, who was in attendance at the game..The Bears lost all five starters from last year's Atlantic Sun Conference champions who defeated Duke in the first round of last season's NCAA Tournament, the school's first-ever win in the NCAA tourney.Mercer is now a member of the Southern Conference beginning this season.<br /> <br /> SETON HALL: Whitehead is the program's first McDonald's All-American honoree since the late Eddie Griffin in 2000.Whitehead was selected as the preseason Big East Rookie of the Year.The Pirates welcomed seven newcomers to their roster with Sunday's opener, including a recruiting class that was ranked as high as fourth in the nation by some polls.<br /> <br /> WHAT'S NEXT?<br /> <br /> Seton Hall heads to the U.S. Virgin Islands to take on Nevada Friday in the annual Paradise Jam tournament.<br /> <br /> Mercer will play host to Kennesaw State Wednesday night.<br /> <br /> SINA HELPS<br /> <br /> Sophomore Sina scored nine points, but played a huge role in Willard's mind. "He calmed us down in the first half and settled us down. That's what he does. He's our rock. He's solid."<br /> <br /> YOUNG ROSTER<br /> <br /> Willard was concerned that his young team, featuring eight freshmen, would have a tough time in the opener. "I didn't know how we would come out," Willard said. "When we have so many young guys, I didn't know how much they would absorb. But they did a good job and settled down in the second half."

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