NEWARK, N.J. - Bad things continued to happen to the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team when it crosses the George Washington bridge.

The Minutemen could not handle Seton Hall's full-court pressure and the score got ugly fast as the Pirates blitzed UMass 86-68 Monday night at the Prudential Center.

The Minutemen are now 4-5 and three of those losses this season have come in New Jersey, including the two most lopsided - Monday and the 106-68 loss to Michigan State on Nov. 28.

The game was not as close as the final score made it appear because UMass made up some ground once it was out of reach. The lead for Seton Hall (7-0) peaked at 64-29 midway through the second half.

"I thought Seton Hall played a good game tonight," Minuteman coach Derek Kellogg said. "They played with a little more fire and a little more energy than my team, They're a good basketball team and I don't think we were ready for what they brought at us tonight."

A year ago against defensive pressure, UMass could give the ball to Chris Lowe and the speedy left-hander could usually get the ball across half court on his own.

But with Lowe graduated, the point-guard woes for the Minutemen were on full display Monday. UMass had nine turnovers, including several in the backcourt, and just one assist in the first half. The Minutemen finished with 16 turnovers.

On top of that, UMass did not shoot the ball well either in the first half. The Minutemen missed 29-of-36 shots from the floor including all 12 from 3-point range.

"It's rough for us when we're not making shots," said sophomore big man Sean Carter. "They sped us up and we turned the ball over. They got a lot of run outs. When you give a Big East team a lot of run outs, you're in for a long night."

The Pirates' lead reached 10 just before the midway point of the first half and 25 on a 3-pointer by Jeremy Hazell with 51 seconds left before halftime as Seton Hall coasted to a 44-19 advantage.

The Minutemen's total was the fewest points in a half since they scored 16 against Saint Joseph's on Jan. 23, 2008.

UMass could not guard Herb Pope inside or outside as the transfer from New Mexico State had 22 points and 15 rebounds.

"He dominated the game," Kellogg said. "He gives them extra opportunities when they take tough shots and miss."

Hazell, a junior guard, added 21 points, including a free throw with 15:47 left in game that put the Pirates up by 30.

Ricky Harris and Anthony Gurley, each with 15 points, continued to lead the Minutemen in scoring, while Terrell Vinson added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Late in the game with a win out of reach, Kellogg experimented with lineups by using four freshmen - Vinson, Freddie Riley, Javorn Farrell (eight points, four rebounds) and Sampson Carter - with junior point guard Gary Correia. The group helped cut into the Pirate lead.

"The one good thing was that I was able to play my freshmen some quality minutes," Kellogg said. "I thought they did some good things at the end, but the game was over at that point. I just want to get them as many minutes as I can do they can progress and get better."

UMass hosts Grambling at 8 p.m. Friday at the Mullins Center. "I want us to come back like we did after Michigan State when we got two good wins and not lose our focus and our goals," Harris said.

Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. For more UMass coverage, including a UMass sports blog, go to http://www.gazettenet.com/blog/umass-sports.