Pirates Late Comeback Falls Short Against USC in Maui

Tuesday, November 25

Lahaina, Hawai'i

5:00 p.m.

Seton Hall University

6-1,0-0Big East

USC

6-0,0-0Big Ten

Seton Hall

Southern California

Pirates Late Comeback Falls Short Against USC in Maui

11/25/2025 8:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

LAHAINA, HAWAII — Despite tying the game in the closing minutes, the Seton Hall men's basketball team fell short against the USC Trojans, 83-81, in The Hall's second round of the Maui Invitational inside the Lahaina Civic Center.

The Pirates (6-1) built a lead as large as 13 points in the first half thanks to ten USC turnovers, but struggled to get to the line in the second half. Meanwhile, the Trojans (6-0) were led by Ezra Ausar, who scored a game-high 25 points.

How It Happened
Riding the wave of their longest winning streak under Head Coach Shaheen Holloway, the Pirates found themselves in an offensive brawl early in this matchup with USC. Building off of yesterday's season-best performance, AJ Staton-McCray scored the opening four points for the Pirates as they claimed an early 4-3 lead.

While the Pirates could not shake the Trojans offensively in the opening five minutes, Mike Williams made himself known to help build a gap for the Pirates. Alongside Budd Clark, Williams demonized USC's defense, drawing five foul shots, converting four, and making one other basket as The Hall earned themselves a seven-point lead, 19-12, as the twelve-minute mark approached.

Tr3y Parker. pic.twitter.com/KZ3bdqCo5S
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) November 25, 2025

Amid this offensive salvo, the Pirates' defense only continued to grow more and more emboldened despite foul trouble. Before the five-minute mark even arrived, the Pirates had tallied nine steals and one block, tying the Trojans' offense in knots while they tried to merely get points on the board. Najai Hines added six points and two rebounds, while Trey Parker added five points of his own as Seton Hall found themselves up 13, 34-21, with 5:27 left in the opening half. The lead would be closed down to four in the final minutes, however, as USC's Rodney Rice rattled off 11 straight points to make it a 42-38 game at the break.

Jacob says you are NOT invited to the Luau 🙅‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/Tnc51qbnPi
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) November 25, 2025

Despite expanding the lead back to eight, 46-38, to open the half, the Trojans snatched the momentum they had at the end of the second half back from Seton Hall. By the 15-minute mark, the Trojans had rattled off a 17-6 run that put The Hall down 2, 55-53, for the first time since the 14:14 mark in the first half. Despite the best efforts of Elijah Fisher and Clark, a parade of foul shots for the Trojans expanded Seton Hall's deficit all the way to 8, 74-66, with 4:10 remaining.

Entering the final minutes, quick baskets by a resurgent Clark, who was dealing with four fouls, and Setphon Payne cut the deficit down to four, 76-72. However, USC's foul-shooting continued to play a significant role as they earned another pair of free throws to balloon it back to a six-point game. As time continued to slip by, the lead was reduced to five points with 90 seconds on the clock. In a moment of veteran experience, Clark drew a foul to net two quick points at the line for the Pirates. After a timeout, the junior then swiped the inbound before sending it out to Staton-McCray. McCray launched a high-arching shot through the net, tying the game at 78-78 with 1:02 remaining.

TIED‼️ pic.twitter.com/4OCuoqlvsN
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) November 26, 2025

Despite finally drawing the game even, the Trojans would muster up another foul call, collecting another two easy points to put them in front. Out of the ensuing Pirates' timeout, Clark attempted to send the ball into Stephon Payne in the paint to tie the game. The ball was snatched away by USC, however, as a player from both teams flew out of bounds. A missed touch on the ball forced the Pirates to foul to stay within reach. Despite The Hall making its free throws, they could not overcome the Trojans, leading to an 83-81 loss in the Maui Invitational Semifinals.

News & Notes

With 81 points tonight, the Pirates have logged 68 or more points in their first seven games for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
The Hall has recorded a minimum of three double-digit scorers in every game this season.
Elijah Fisher eclipsed the 1,000 point milestone in his career, finishing with 10 points.
The Pirates have recorded nine or more steals in every game this season.
Clark recorded his best game as a Pirate, scoring a season-high 18 points paired with seven assists and only two turnovers.
Staton-McCray logged his second-consecutive game with 15+ points.

Up Next
The Pirates are back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 26, when they face off against Washington State in the third-place game of Maui Invitational inside the Lahaina Civic Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with opening tip slated for 5:30 p.m. EST.