#25 Seton Hall Upset by Struggling Butler in Saturday Afternoon Bout

Published: Saturday, January 17, 2026

by Jacob Glick

NEWARK, N.J. - The #25 Seton Hall Pirates (14-4, 4-3) fell to the Butler Bulldogs (11-7, 2-5) in a disappointing game, losing 77-66 on Saturday afternoon.

Butler came out of the gates hot, getting off to a 6-2 lead in the opening minutes. Seton Hall responded with a big run of their own, giving them a 16-9 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half.

Early fouls forced Coach Shaheen Holloway to dig into his bench early, leading to Josh Rivera checking in and Elijah Fisher checking out. To make things worse, Budd Clark was helped off the floor and into the locker room.

This led to the next 12 minutes being all DePaul. A flurry of threes from Finley Bizjack and Seton Hall fouls allowed the Bulldogs to close out the half on a 25-6 run, which left the Pirates heading into half time looking at a ten-point deficit.

The Pirates defense did a good job holding Michael Ajayi at bay in the first half, limiting him to four points and one rebound, but that wasn’t enough to hold down DePaul. They also couldn’t keep Ajayi dormant for long, as he finished the game with 13 points and eight rebounds.

The large Butler run did not end at halftime, as they carried it well into the second half. The Pirates failed to record a defensive stop for over three minutes to begin the second half, allowing the Bulldog lead to swell to 17.

Seton Hall’s fouls continued to be an issue, as Butler was either scoring or getting to the line at will. On the other side, Seton Hall was again plagued by missed free throws. They finished 17-25 from the line.

Seton Hall went on a run in the middle of the second half, cutting the lead down to six multiple times. With four minutes left, the Pirates had possession with Najai Hines going to the free throw line with a chance to cut it down to four, as this one looked to be shaping up to be another large comeback by the Pirates.

However, Hines’ poor shooting day continued, as he missed both free throws, and Seton Hall was not able to get any closer than that. More fouls and missed shots down the stretch allowed Butler to pull out an 11 point win.

A second-straight home loss for the Pirates moves their record to 14-4 overall and 4-3 in the BIG EAST, and this loss could have big implications on their outlook in March.

The Pirates will be back in action on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Madison Square Garden facing St. John’s with Joe Morales and Lauren Reese on the call. Pregame coverage tips off at 6:30 p.m. with Ryder Nuesell and Ryan Nelke.

Jacob Glick can be reached at jacob.glick@student.shu.edu.

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