Pirates Fall to St. John's in BIG EAST Tournament Semis, 78-68

Friday, March 13

New York, N.Y.

5:30 p.m.

Seton Hall University

21-12,10-10Big East

[1] St. John's

27-6,18-2Big East

Seton Hall

St. John's (NY)

Budd Clark driving vs. St. John's in BIG EAST Semifinals

Pirates Fall to St. John's in BIG EAST Tournament Semis, 78-68

3/13/2026 9:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Despite a quartet of double-digit scorers, the No. 4-seeded Seton Hall men's basketball team's late comeback attempt fell short against the No. 1-seeded St. John's Red Storm, 78-68, in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals inside Madison Square Garden.

The Pirates (21-12) collected double-digit showing from Budd Clark and Jacob Dar for the second straight night.The Red Storm (27-6) also amassed four double-digit scorers, but registered 52.1 percent (25-of-48) shooting percentage from the field.

How It Happened
Immediately after the opening tip, the Pirates quickly found themselves in a hole. Within three minutes, St. John's blitzed The Hall into an 8-0 hole. Yet, as they have all season, The Hall absorbed the early blows and came roaring back. As they stymied the Johnnies on one end of the court, Mike Williams launched seven points on an 11-5 Seton Hall run that pulled the Pirates within one, 12-11.

The two sides continued to trade blows back and forth before, as the midpoint approached, St. John's put The Hall in another eight-point hole. Despite multiple attempts to draw the game even, despite reducing it to as few as a five-point game, The Hall's potential inroads to that goal kept finding dead ends. As the halftime buzzer sounded, Seton Hall was down 38-30, staring down potentially the final half of the team's BIG EAST Tournament run.

AJ on target 🎯 pic.twitter.com/157JlBVqZL
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) March 13, 2026

Out of the break, the Pirates' offense struggled to find answers for the Red Storm's defense. With five missed shots and three turnovers in the opening five minutes, The Hall saw the St. John's go on an 11-0 run as the deficit nearly reached 20 points, 49-30.

With their season on the line, the Pirates' floor general turned on the gas in the team's hunt for a response. With shifty downhill pressure, Clark collected four quick points for Seton Hall to cut the deficit to 15 points. However, as both offenses began to stumble again, it was the Red Storm who gained the advantage once more. As the proceedings slipped past ten minutes remaining, the Red Storm held a 19-point lead, 55-36, once again.

As the pressure continued to mount, two players stepped forward in the Pirates' offensive march out of the trenches. Yesterday's hero, Jacob Dar, aided by Williams and Najai Hines, brought The Hall back within 12, 57-45, with seven minutes left on the clock.

Keep fighting 💪 pic.twitter.com/y9voTfhbkh
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) March 13, 2026

After a St. John's response, Clark returned to the fold once again to cut the deficit back to single digits, 61-53, with five minutes remaining. One possession later, the Pirates cut it to a two-possession game, 62-56, with four-and-a-half minutes remaining off an AJ Staton-McCray three-pointer. Despite that surge, the Pirates' looming foul trouble proved too much to overcome in the closing minutes, leading to the Pirates falling 78-68 to St. John's in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals.

News & Notes

This was the 118^th all-time meeting between the two programs.
- With the loss, The Hall moves to 50-68 all-time against the Red Storm.
Clark led the team with 17 points and 11 assists.
- He is both the first Pirate to post at least 15 points and 10 assists in a BIG EAST Tournament game and the fifth Pirate ever with 10 assists in a BET game.
- His points-assists double-double was the first in the BET since Tristan Newton's against Marquette in the 2024 BIG EAST Tournament Final.
Hines recorded his 11^th game with double-digit points this season.
Dar finished the game with 13 points, marking the first time this season he has had achieved double-digit points in back-to-back games.
Williams was the fourth player in double-digits, adding 10 total points.