No. 25 Pirates Fall to No. 3 UConn Despite Late Comeback

Tuesday, January 13

Newark, N.J.

8:00 p.m.

Seton Hall University

14-3,4-2Big East

UConn

17-1,7-0Big East

UConn

Seton Hall

No. 25 Pirates Fall to No. 3 UConn Despite Late Comeback

1/13/2026 11:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

NEWARK, N.J. — Despite a late comeback attempt in the final minutes, the No. 25 Seton Hall men's basketball team fell to the No. 3 UConn Huskies, 69-64, in front of a packed crowd inside the Prudential Center.

How It Happened
On the eve of classes resuming for the spring semester, the Pirates tipped off in Newark in front of a high-energy crowd. While both sides mounted stifling defensive attacks, it would be the Pirates who took the early advantage in this game. Powered by a pair of Budd Clark jumpers and a Mike Williams layup, The Hall quickly went out in front, 6-3, inside three minutes of gameplay.

Midrange J's are still very very cool pic.twitter.com/ggnHrBPN64
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) January 14, 2026

As the opening half progressed, the lead swung back and forth. Clark and Williams, aided by Najai Hines on both ends, built the lead to as many as 3, 14-11, by the midpoint of the opening frame. However, UConn broke the Pirates' back and forth when they themselves took a four-point lead, 24-20, leaving The Hall with work to do in the final five minutes. However, the Pirates were met with resistance on the offensive end as UConn pushed the Pirates on the fastbreak. As the halftime buzzer sounded, the Pirates found themselves down 13, 35-22, with another 20 minutes left to bounce back.

Out of the break, the Huskies continued to pounce on the Pirates' offensive woes, putting The Hall down 18, 42-24, with just over 17 minutes left on the clock. As they have all season, with their backs against the wall, the team fought back from the deficit. Trey Parker and Clark cut the deficit to 14, 46-32, before UConn responded to push it back to a 17-point hole. In turn, Clark and Williams pushed the deficit down to 13, 51-38, with 12 minutes remaining. However, a fourth foul sent a beleaguered Clark to the bench, forcing the Pirates to find answers without their floor general.

The run continued for The Hall, as the defensive press paid dividends as the team continued its comeback attempt. Tajuan Simpkins and Elijah Fisher both drew fouls as they pushed the pressure in the paint, making it a mere seven-point game, 54-47, with nine minutes left as the pressure and volume grew inside The Rock.

HERE. WE. COME. pic.twitter.com/dXOSpNmh88
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) January 14, 2026

However, The Hall's comeback momentum began to stall over the ensuing minutes. As UConn expanded the Pirates' deficit back to 10, 60-50, the Pirates' bench found its momentum at a crucial time. While Hines and a returning Clark added a pair of points each, a trio of jumpers from Parker sent The Hall on a surging 8-2 run that cut the affair to a single-possession game, 62-60, with just over two minutes left on the clock.

DOWN TO ONE IN NEWARK 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/bMrsftzkt2
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) January 14, 2026

Despite the offensive flurry, a pair of trips to the free-throw line by the Huskies put the Pirates back in a five-point hole, 65-60, with under a minute left on the clock. When they needed it most, however, Williams drained the Pirates' first three-pointer of the game to make it a one-point game, 65-64, with 48 seconds remaining. As the game sat in the balance, the Huskies called a timeout in the face of the Pirates' pressure on the inbound. However, the experienced Huskies team found their way to the free-throw line, ending the Pirates' comeback in the final minute and handing the team a 69-64 loss.

News & Notes

This was the 75^th matchup all time between the two programs.
- With the loss, The Hall moves to 24-51 all time against the Huskies.
Seton Hall has held 15 of 17 opponents under 70 points this season.
- They've also held 10 of them under 65 points.
Clark recorded his tenth game of the season with double-digit points.
Hines recorded his sixth game with double-digit points.
Williams recorded his seventh game with double-digits points this season.

Up Next
The Pirates return to action on Saturday, January 17, when they play host to the Butler Bulldogs inside the Prudential Center. The game will be broadcast on TNT and truTV with opening tip slated for 12 p.m.`