Pirates Down Xavier to Earn 20th Win and BIG EAST Bye, 77-68

Tuesday, March 3

Cincinnati, Ohio

7:00 p.m.

Seton Hall University

20-10,10-9Big East

Xavier

14-16,6-13Big East

Team	1	2	F
Seton Hall	33	44	77
Xavier	32	36	68

Pirates Down Xavier to Earn 20th Win and BIG EAST Bye, 77-68

3/3/2026 9:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Tickets for March 6 vs. St. John's

CINCINNATI, OHIO. — Led by strong second halves from Budd Clark and AJ Staton-McCray, the Seton Hall men's basketball team defeated the Xavier Musketeers, 77-68, inside the Cintas Center on Tuesday night. With the victory, the Pirates clinch a first-round bye in next week's BIG EAST Tournament.

The Pirates (20-10, 10-9) shot 54.8 percent from the field in the second half with 20 points in the paint. The Musketeers (14-16, 6-13) committed 11 turnovers and lost the rebounding battle, 37-30 .
Seton Hall closed the game on a 19-8 run to propel themselves to their 20th win of the season.

How It Happened
Despite AJ Staton-McCray finding himself in early foul trouble, Stephon Payne served as The Hall's early driving force in the opening stages of the team's final road tilt. With four quick points and a steal, Payne powered The Hall to an early 12-6 lead through five minutes of play.

As the half approached the midway point, the Pirates maintained a vacillating lead over the Musketeers. Led by Tajaun Simpkins and Mike Williams on the offensive end, Seton Hall's lead grew to as many as seven, 23-16, not long after the clock ticked past the halfway mark.

Xavier would come back, however, in the immediate aftermath of that seven-point extension. As The Hall began to struggle offensively, the Musketeers went on a 13-2 run to send the Pirates down four, 29-25, with just under five minutes left in the half. Yet, the Pirates would find their way to the charity stripe in the final minutes of the half to counter the opposition's offensive attack. As the halftime buzzer sounded, Seton Hall held a 33-32 lead.

JD soars in for the finish 💪 pic.twitter.com/VczKILj9Oj
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) March 4, 2026

Out of the break, Budd Clark immediately made an impact by taking a Payne steal coast-to-coast to extend the Seton Hall lead to three, 35-32. Despite that, the game quickly returned to a back-and-forth affair as the two sides traded the lead back and forth. After a stagnant opening half, Staton-McCray came alive during this stretch, draining multiple threes to counter the Musketeers blows from beyond the arc.

As the second half approached the midway point, Clark continued to play the role of floor general, holding the Pirates' offense steady and moving forward amid Xavier's challenges. Not long after the Musketeers took a four-point lead, 60-56, with 12 minutes remaining, the Pirates' bench came in and made a strong response. A quick four-point run from Jacob Dar returned the game to a level state, while Simpkins helped The Hall grow the lead.

AJ the steal ➡️ Mike the TOUGH bucket pic.twitter.com/WVe0sVWbod
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) March 4, 2026

In the final minutes, the Pirates' defense began to suffocate the once-explosive offense their opposition put forth. Eventually. Both Clark and McCray helped close out the game at the line and from the field, ballooning the lead up to as many as 11 points, 75-64. The last-minute pressure from Xavier fell short, powering the Pirates to a 77-68 win over the Musketeers to close out the team's 2025-26 road schedule.

News & Notes

This was the 33^rd matchup all-time between the two programs.
- With the win, The Hall moves to 18-15 against the Musketeers.
With the win, Seton Hall clinches a first-round bye in the BIG EAST Tournament.
The win also gives Seton Hall 20 wins for the eighth time since 2013-14, tied for the third-most in the league over that span.
Seton Hall matches its largest win improvement from season-to-season, with the victory. The Hall now has 13 more victories than it did all of last season.
The Pirates' +13 win improvement trails only Miami for the largest in the nation this season.
In 22 of its 30 games, Seton Hall has held their opponents under 70 points.
Clark led the team with 16 points.
Dar led the team with a season-high eight rebounds.
Simpkins and Williams each scored ten points.

Up Next
The Pirates will look to close out the season on Friday, March 6, when they host the St. John's Red Storm on Senior Night inside the Prudential Center. The game will be broadcast on FS1 with opening tip slated for 9 p.m.