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BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL LI

NEW YORK (AP) -Jeremy Hazell scored 23 points to lead Seton Hall to a 68-54 victory over the University of South Florida on Tuesday night, snapping the Pirates' five-game losing streak in the Big East tournament.

Eugene Harvey added 16 points for Seton Hall (17-14) in the opening-round win that sent the 11th-seeded Pirates on to face sixth-seeded and 18th-ranked Syracuse in the second round on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

Dominique Jones had 14 points for the Bulls (9-22), who were making their first appearance in the Big East tournament since joining the conference four years ago.

Hazell scored 12 points in the Pirates' 21-9 run to open the second half that gave them a 51-41 lead with 12:05 left. Seton Hall, which last won a game in the tournament in the opening round in 2003, pulled away by holding South Florida to three field goals over the final 11 minutes.

Post Game Notes

• Seton Hall and Syracuse have not met in the BIG EAST Championship since March 11, 1994, when the Pirates were 81-80 winners in overtime in the second round.
• Seton Hall is the first No. 11 seed to win a game in the BIG EAST  tournament since Rutgers was a 72-65 winner against Notre Dame in the first round of the 2005 championship.
• Seton Hall shot better from 3-point range (53.8 percent) than from 2-point range (48.7 percent).Seton Hall guard Jeremy Hazell scored a game-high 23 points. It was his
• 23rd game this season with at least 20 points. Hazell has hit for double figures in every game this season.
• USF was making its debut in the BIG EAST Championship.
• USF guard Dominique Jones had a team-high 14 points, giving him 1,092 in his two-year career.
• The teams' benches combined for nine points.