Payne Shines as Pirates Rally to Beat Marquette, 79-73

Tuesday, December 30

Milwaukee, WI

7:00 p.m.

Seton Hall University

12-2,2-1Big East

Marquette

5-9,0-3Big East

Seton Hall

Marquette

Payne Shines as Pirates Rally to Beat Marquette, 79-73

12/30/2025 10:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score 2-for-1 Tickets for Sunday vs. Creighton

MILWAUKEE, WIS. — Powered by a late comeback and a historic night from Stephon Payne, the Seton Hall men's basketball team rallied late to defeat the Marquette Golden Eagles, 79-73, in the Pirates' final game before the new year inside Fiserv Forum.

The Pirates (12-2) dominated the boards, outrebounding Marquette, 51-33, while finishing the game on a 13-0 run over the final 2:54. The Golden Eagles (5-9) shot a paltry 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from three and committed eight second half turnovers that turned into 10 Seton Hall points.

How It Happened
After things tipped off for The Hall's final game of 2025, the Pirates would jump out to an early lead thanks to bounce-back performances from two starters. Stephon Payne started things off with a driving layup, while Budd Clark knifed through Marquette's defense in the paint with little resistance. Clark quickly totaled six points and an assist as Seton Hall rushed out to a quick 7-1 lead inside the opening four minutes.

While Payne and a rotating cast of scorers helped stave off Marquette's push for some time, the offense began to run cold and the lead slowly began to fade away. Not long after the clock ticked under the midway point of the opening half, the Pirates' lead fully disappeared when Marquette capped off a 15-4 run to go up, 21-18.

AJ from downtown‼️ pic.twitter.com/02OD2o2I3f
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 31, 2025

The Golden Eagles' lead would grow to as many as five, 28-23, before the Pirates found their answer in the final eight minutes. After an early injury scare, AJ Staton-McCray returned to the court and quickly went on a run. In less than 90 seconds, Staton-McCray laced a trio of three-pointers to push The Hall back in front, 32-31, with under four minutes remaining in the half. Over the final minutes of the half, the lead swung between the two teams, but Clark, Payne and Staton-McCray held strong in response. The Pirates went to the break with a 39-38 lead and a 30-15 advantage on the boards, 13 of which came from Payne.

AJ is FEELING IT 🔥

Four made 3⃣'s in the half and three in a row 💪 pic.twitter.com/wviYiEjX8l
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 31, 2025

Out of the break, The Hall flew out to a six-point lead, 45-39, off the back of four points from Mike Williams with just under three minutes gone in the half. Yet, despite that flying start, the Pirates struggled to score over the ensuing minutes. As they searched for an answer, the Golden Eagles erased all of Seton Hall's momentum on a 16-0 run that put the Pirates down 10, 55-45, with just under 13 minutes remaining in the game.

AJ swats it ➡️ Mike finishes it pic.twitter.com/grGAq5plKJ
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 31, 2025

After rediscovering their offensive rhythm, The Hall made the first gambit to regain the lead. With Clark at the controls, with the aid of Tajuan Simpkins, Josh Rivera, and a returning Najai Hines, Seton Hall was on the comeback trail. Clark pickpocketed the Golden Eagles in the backcourt and laid the ball in, capping an energetic 8-0 run that reduced the deficit to two points, 60-58, with just over eight minutes left in the game.

Budd making PLAYS 🔥

We're on an 8⃣-0⃣ run‼️ pic.twitter.com/AfmExjbZLO
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 31, 2025

Once again, however, despite Payne continuing to clean the glass in clutch situations, the Pirates could not find baskets in response as the deficit grew back to eight, 69-61, with less than five minutes on the clock. With under three minutes remaining, that hole had only fallen to six points, 73-67. With time running out, the importance of every possession on both ends of the court increased by multiples.

Seton Hall's last stand began with Payne splitting a pair of free throws with 2:54 remaining, cutting the deficit to six points. Despite missing the back half, the Jacksonville-native collected a rebound that led to a pair of free throws for Simpkins, making it a two-possession game, 73-69, with 2:32 on the clock. Still with work to do, Seton Hall denied Marquette at the rim twice in one possession to keep the comeback hopes alive. With anxiety growing inside Fiserv Forum, the hopes turned to reality when, after being fouled shooting a three-pointer, Trey Parker drained all three free throws to make it a one-point game, 73-72, with 1:48 still on the clock.

Despite the Pirates' surge in the closing minutes, the Golden Eagles held all the cards to close out the game. Yet, after a poor pass to the near corner, Simpkins stole the ball, along with any Marquette momentum, and drove to the basket to pocket a layup to give Seton Hall its first lead in over 15 minutes, 74-73, with 1:18 remaining in the game.

THE STEAL + THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/t5SHWTl3a0
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 31, 2025

Now with a lead to defend in the closing moments, the Pirates' defense locked in to a suffocating degree. After forcing a travel at one end of the court, the Pirates had a chance to put the game on ice. After scrambling around the paint, Clark landed the coup de grâce with a driving layup to make it a three-point game, 76-73, with 44 seconds on the clock. Once again, with the game on the line, The Hall's defense forced a pair of poor shots, earning the Pirates more foul shots. After three more made free throws, the Pirates capped off 2025 with a 79-73 comeback road win over Marquette.

News & Notes

This was the 39^th matchup between these two programs.
- With the win, the Pirates move to 15-24 all-time against the Golden Eagles.
With the victory, Seton Hall matches its best 14-game to start a season since 2017-18.
With 79 points tonight, the Pirates have logged 68 or more points in all but one game this season.
With four double-digit scorers tonight, The Hall have recorded a minimum of three double-digit scorers in all but one game this season.
Payne recorded a double-double with 14 points and a career-high 22 rebounds.
- This was the first Pirates player with 20+ rebounds in a game since Angel Delgado tallied 23 boards against Kansas on March 17, 2018, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
- He became the eighth different player in program history with a 20+ rebound game.
- The tally was also tied for the second-most in a game in program history with Angel Delgado.
- His 22 boards were the most by a BIG EAST player since Bryce Hopkins's 23 rebounds for Providence against then No. 24 Marquette on December 20, 2022.
- Those 22 rebounds were the most ever recorded in a collegiate game inside Fiserv Forum.
Staton-McCray totaled 14 points, Clark added 13 points and Simpkins amassed 11 points.

Up Next
The Pirates return to action on Sunday, January 4, when they return to the Prudential Center to host the Creighton Blue Jays. The game will be broadcast on Peacock with opening tip slated for 12 p.m. EST.`