Clark's Season-High 31 Points Powers Pirates Past Providence, 87-80

Wednesday, February 11

Newark, N.J.

7:30 p.m.

Seton Hall University

17-8,7-7Big East

Providence

11-14,4-10Big East

Providence

Seton Hall

Clark's Season-High 31 Points Powers Pirates Past Providence, 87-80

2/11/2026 9:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

NEWARK, N.J. — With a season-high 31 points from Budd Clark, the Seton Hall men's basketball team outlasted the Providence Friars, 87-80, in a midweek clash inside the Prudential Center.

The Pirates (17-8, 7-7 BE), powered by Clark and an 18-point effort from AJ Staton-McCray, collected 18 points off turnovers with an additional 24 bench points. The Friars (11-14, 4-10 BE), despite having a pair of players score at least 20 points, committed 18 turnovers and shot 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from three in the second half.

How It Happened
In the Pirates' return to The Rock, the opening two minutes saw the two sides wage a defensive war, with each team scoring only one basket. However, a trio of three-pointers made by Providence pushed the Pirates into an early 11-4 hole inside the first four minutes of play. Yet, once again, The Hall came charging back, showcasing their signature resistance. Led by an aggressive Stephon Payne and decisive Budd Clark, Seton Hall went on a 7-3 run inside the next two minutes to cut the deficit to merely three points, 14-11.

Budd gets to his spot 🎯 pic.twitter.com/W8MyIZ3wzF
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) February 12, 2026

Another Friars surge would put the Pirates down as many as eight, 24-16, with just over 11 minutes remaining in the half. Quickly after, however, another Seton Hall surge followed, led by aggressive play from Josh Rivera. The senior wing added three points on another run that pulled the Pirates back within two, 26-24, just as the proceedings dipped under the nine-minute mark. As the lead vacillated over the remainder of the half, scoring bursts from AJ Staton-McCray and Elijah Fisher kept the game within grasp for The Hall. However, the Pirates could not find the equalizer in the opening 20 minutes and headed to the break down four, 43-39.

TWIN SAYS NO 🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/NRXjQ6YjTn
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) February 12, 2026

While the Friars immediately expanded the deficit to seven out of the break, Clark set the Pirates' offense to warp speed. Clark collected the opening four points before Tajaun Simpkins capped off an 8-2 run with five points to equalize the game at 51-51 with 15:44 left on the clock. Even as Providence responded, it was Simpkins who kept the opposition at bay and tied up the game. As the Pirates began to find defensive stops, it was Clark who capitalized on the Friars misfortune. The floor general capped off his own 4-0 run with a steal-and-layup to put The Hall up four, 59-55, with just under 12 minutes left in the half.

Count it and the foul for G-Dub 💪💪 pic.twitter.com/fWUwntQUqv
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) February 12, 2026

As the two sides battled back and forth, a familiar face came off the bench to provide clutch minutes in the middle of the second half. In a seven-minute stretch, Godswill Erheriene provided a much-needed spell for the Pirates' bigs, adding six points and two rebounds, in which the Pirates went +6 over the Friars. As he exited the court with just under five minutes on the clock, The Hall held a 75-67 lead as the minutes waned. Even with a late charge by the Friars, Clark capped off a season-best showing by burying the visitors with the final nine Seton Hall points to close the game. The junior point guard added a steal in the closing moments to cap off an 87-80 victory inside The Rock over the Providence Friars.

News & Notes

This was the 118^th matchup all-time between the two programs.
- With the win, The Hall moves to 58-60 all-time against the Friars.
- This also marked the first season sweep of Providence for The Hall since the 2017-18 season.
With 11 steals tonight, the Pirates recorded their 21^st game with eight or more steals this season.
With 26 rebounds tonight, the Pirates' recorded their lowest rebound total in a win this season.
With a season-high 31 points, eight rebounds and five steals, Clark finished one off his career-high tally in points.
- According to Elias, Clark is the first BIG EAST player since at least 1996-97 to have at least 31 points, 8 assists and five steals in a regulation game.
- He is the first BIG EAST player to compile that stat line since Jonny Flynn in the Syracuse-UConn classic that lasted six overtimes in the 2009 BIG EAST Tournament.
- The 31-point performance marked the first 30+ point game by a Seton Hall player since Jared Rhoden amassed 30 in a 82-66 win at Xavier on February 26, 2022.
- This was Clark's fifth consecutive game with 18+ points, the most by a Pirate since Isaiah Coleman's five-game streak last season.
- Clark contributed to 50 of The Hall's points tonight.
Staton-McCray and Simpkins recorded 18 and 13 points, respectively.
Erheriene's seven points were his most points since he tallied eight on March 1, 2025 against St. John's

Up Next
The Pirates return to action on Sunday, February 15, when they travel to Indianapolis, Indiana, to take on the Butler Bulldogs. The game will be broadcast on FS1 with opening tip slated for 6 p.m.