Payne, Simpkins Shine as Pirates Down Providence in BIG EAST Opener

Friday, December 19

Providence, RI

6:30 p.m.

Seton Hall University

11-1,1-0Big East

Providence

7-6,0-2Big East

Seton Hall

Providence

Payne, Simpkins Shine as Pirates Down Providence in BIG EAST Opener

12/19/2025 9:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Powered by a pair of dominant performances, the Seton Hall men's basketball team defeated the Providence Friars, 72-67, in the Pirates' BIG EAST opener on the road inside a hostile Amica Mutual Pavilion.

The Pirates (11-1, 1-0 BIG EAST), without Najai Hines, dominated the boards with 35 rebounds while Stephon Payne (18 pts, 16 reb) and Tajuan Simpkins (22 pts) provided clutch plays down the stretch. The Friars (7-6, 0-2 BIG EAST), meanwhile, were mired in foul trouble, while also shooting a chilly 21.7 percent (5-23) from beyond the arc.

How It Happened
In the Pirates' BIG EAST opener, it would be Elijah Fisher who rang in a new conference slate with the opening points of the game on the first shot. However, things would begin to run cold for The Hall as the Providence stalled The Hall and went in front 8-4 after an 8-1 run. A journey to the bench would solve the Pirates' woes when Tajuan Simpkins entered the game. The junior guard rattled off six-straight points on a 7-0 run for Seton Hall as they secured a 12-8 lead as the midpoint of the opening half approached.

Twin + the foul 😤 pic.twitter.com/6JY03TLRuy
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 19, 2025

As quickly as they claimed the lead, the Pirates' offense fell into the mud alongside the Friars. A series of Seton Hall turnovers put Providence back into the lead, 16-14, as the seven-minute mark arrived. Just as quickly as the lead faded away, The Hall sailed back in front. With an 11-0 run, led by five points from Mike Williams, the Pirates jumped out to a nine-point lead, the largest of the game by either team, with under five minutes left in the half.

Up top to Steph‼️ pic.twitter.com/XyMjB1sMfm
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 20, 2025

In the closing minutes, the two sides would begin to find their footing offensively after a muddy first half. Right before the half ended, Stephon Payne put the exclamation point on the first half with an alley-oop as Seton Hall headed to the half up 35-28.

Out of the break, the Pirates quickly faced pressure from the Friars. After weathering that surge, Budd Clark dished out a pair of assists on a miniature 5-0 burst that put The Hall back up nine, 40-31, and forced a Providence timeout within two minutes of the half beginning. In a continuing theme on the night, the Friars responded by slowly closing the gap on Seton Hall to the point where, at the 14:30 mark, they took the lead back, putting The Hall down 46-45.

Double-Double for Steph 💪 pic.twitter.com/utQImB6Zjq
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 20, 2025

As the middle third of the half ticked by, the two sides traded buckets back and forth with each team consistently retaking the lead from the other. Payne would serve as a major difference maker during this stretch for the Pirates, collecting numerous rebounds and netting put-back layups as he rocketed past his career high in rebounds. As the clock approached the seven-minute mark, a pair of lay-ins by the big man gave the Pirates a five-point lead, 57-52.

TWIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNN pic.twitter.com/xXHD4NOcnS
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 20, 2025

In the game that would never rest, Providence, powered by its home crowd, pushed Seton Hall to the limit once again, retaking the lead with 2:30 left on the clock. As points in the paint and drawing fouls became paramount for both sides in the closing minutes, even more of an onus fell on Payne. Unfazed, the senior made bucket after bucket, even netting a pair of free throws, as he continued to stave off the Friars' attack.

With the game sitting on a seesaw, the Friars retook the lead, 67-66, with 1:16 remaining as the pressure on Seton Hall continued to mount. After a dominant game from the field, the hero for The Hall would be Simpkins. After a quick dish outside the arc, Simpkins laced a three to put the Pirates up 2, 69.67, with 1:02 remaining. This chaotic season-opening affair would end in the hands of the Pirates' floor general, as Clark rattled off three additional points in the final 30 seconds to help the Pirates escape with a 72-67 victory over Providence to open BIG EAST play.

News & Notes

With the win, the Pirates are off to a 11-1 start, matching their best record after ten games since the 2011-12 season.
Payne recorded his second double-double of the season with a career-high 16 rebounds and a season-high 18 points.
- He is the first Pirate with at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in a game since Jared Rhoden against DePaul on February 19, 2022.
This was the 117^th matchup between these two programs
- With the win, the Pirates move to 57-60 all-time against the Friars and 40-37 in BIG EAST regular season games.
Seton Hall is the first team to hold Providence under 70 points this season.
The Pirates improve to 9-4 in BIG EAST openers since the 2013-14 season.
Seton Hall has won three of its last four games at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
This was the fifth straight meeting against Providence decided by six points or less.
With 72 points tonight, the Pirates have logged 68 or more points in every game this season.
The Hall has recorded a minimum of three double-digit scorers in every game this season.
The Pirates have held their opponents under 70 points in 10 of their 12 games.
With 12 steals tonight, the Pirates extend their school-record streak of 12 straight games with 9+ steals.
Simpkins recorded a season-high 22 points.

Up Next
The Pirates return to action on Tuesday, December 23, when they host the Villanova Wildcats in The Hall's BIG EAST home opener inside the Prudential Center for Christmas at The Hall. The game will be broadcast on NBCSN and Peacock with opening tip slated for 7 p.m.