Pirates Stymie K-State for Gritty Road Win, 78-67

Saturday, December 6

Manhattan, KS

4:00 p.m.

Seton Hall University

9-1,0-0Big East

Kansas State

5-4,0-0Big 12

Seton Hall

Kansas St.

12/6/2025 7:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

MANHATTAN, KAN. — Utilizing strong defense and a quartet of double-digit scorers, the Seton Hall men's basketball team defeated the Kansas State Wildcats, 78-67, in The Hall's final non-conference road game of the season inside Bramlage Coliseum.

The Pirates (9-1) grabbed a season-high 44 rebounds and attempted a season high 72 buckets on their way to a comfortable win in the closing stages. The Wildcats (5-4), meanwhile, helped the Pirates by shooting a frigid 42.9 percent (15-of-35) from the free-throw line and 37.1 percent (23-of-62) from the field.

How It Happened
In front of a hostile crowd, the Pirates battled back and forth with Kansas State in the opening stages. The man who would break the stalemate in favor of The Hall ended up being Elijah Fisher. After five straight points from Fisher, Budd Clark added a three to cap off an 8-0 Seton Hall run to put the Pirates up six, 11-5, through three-and-a-half minutes of play.

Budd for 3⃣‼️ pic.twitter.com/hfnkGl4MZp
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 6, 2025

Despite the Wildcats eventually finding their way on the offensive end, Najai Hines dominated in the paint after coming off the bench. In his dominant four-minute stretch, Hines collected seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, plus three rebounds, as The Hall's lead held steady at five when he exited the game with 10:22 on the clock. After his departure, Kansas State shifted its offensive game plan in an attempt to find a hole in the Pirates' scheme. As Seton Hall went cold offensively, the Wildcats pushed their way back into the game, tying it at 22-22 as the game dipped under 8 minutes.

As the game returned to a back-and-forth state, it was Fisher and Clark who got the Pirates out of their rut. The pair of Pirates combined for an 8-to-0 run to pull in front, 34-26, with 2:30 left in the half. Despite another attempted Kansas State run, the Pirates held a 35-29 lead heading into halftime. After the break, the Pirates returned to the court on fire and full of momentum.

Mike with the steal and the bucket and we have our largest lead of the day! pic.twitter.com/6AFiRYiZbV
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 6, 2025

While Clark and Hines continued to add their stamp on the game, Mike Williams announced his presence in the opening minutes of the second half. After notching an early three-pointer, Williams stole the ball and laid it in himself, capping off a 7-2 Pirates run and forcing a Wildcats timeout with 17 minutes remaining and The Hall holding a 13-point lead, 44-31.

Once again, Kansas State slowly dragged down the Pirates into an offensive brawl. As the Pirates' offense ran cold again, the Wildcats got to the foul line and reduced The Hall's lead to single digits. Almost immediately, however, AJ Staton-McCray and Tajuan Simpkins responded with a pair of buckets to put the team's lead back into double-digits. Not long after, Trey Parker added a three before Williams' second steal and lay-in put the Pirates up 16, 60-44, forcing another Kansas State timeout with 8:25 left in the game.

AND-ONE 💪😤 pic.twitter.com/h9kkMf1N7L
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 6, 2025

Over the closing stages, while the Wildcats shrank the lead to as few as eight. However, Fisher and Stephon Payne turned the lights out on Kansas State. The duo rattled off eight of the Pirates' nine unanswered points to balloon The Hall's lead up to a game-high 17 points, 71-54, with nearly four minutes remaining. Despite a momentary response from the opposition in the final two minutes, Seton Hall took down Kansas State, 78-67, as the buzzer rang out in Manhattan.

News & Notes

With the win, the Pirates are off to a 9-1 start, matching their best record after ten games since the 2021-22 season.
This was the Pirates' first win over a Big 12 opponent since 2021.
This was the second-ever matchup between the two opponents, with the only other matchup being a 34-29 win over the Wildcats on Dec. 30, 1940.
- With the win, the Pirates move to 2-0 all-time against Kansas State.
With 78 points tonight, the Pirates have logged 68 or more points in their first ten games for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
- They've also logged five straight games of 75+ points.
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 eight of their ten games.
With 10 steals tonight, the Pirates have recorded nine or more steals in all nine games this season,
- That is tied for both the longest streak in program history and the longest streak to open a season.
Staton-McCray logged his eighth-consecutive game with double-digit points.
- It was also the fourth time in the last five games that he scored 15+ points.
Hines recorded his fourth-career game with double-digit points

Up Next
The Pirates return to action on Saturday, Dec. 13, when they return to the Prudential Center to play host to Rutgers in this year's edition of the Hardwood Classic. The game will be broadcast on FS1 with opening tip slated for 8 p.m.