Dar and Clark Power Pirates to BIG EAST Tournament Win Over Creighton, Sets Up Clash with St. John’s

Published: Thursday, March 12, 2026

by AJ Rayer

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The Seton Hall Pirates (21-11, 10-10) lived up to the high expectations in their postseason debut, taking down the Creighton Bluejays (15-17, 9-11) by a final score of 72-61 Thursday afternoon in Madison Square Garden. 

Budd Clark finished the game with 16 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Jacob Dar had undoubtedly his best game of the season off the bench with 16 points in 15 minutes. Thursday’s win marked the Hall’s first win in the BIG EAST Tournament since 2022, a first round win over Georgetown.

Both teams struggled to find their rhythm during the first five minutes, but the tempo began to pick up as the half went on. Seton Hall built a 10-point lead late in the period, but Creighton managed to cut the deficit to seven, trailing 33–26 heading into the locker room.  The Hall closed the half on a 16-8 run.

The Pirates defense was suffocating as it had been all year, collapsing and helping on Creighton’s drives to the basket and forcing them into tough looks. The Bluejays shot 29% from the field in the first half.

Clark led the way with 10 points, knocking down several mid-range jumpers. Mike Williams and Elijah Fisher each added seven points, both shooting 3-for-5 from the field. For Creighton, Nik Graves paced the Bluejays with 10 points.

Out of the half, Creighton flipped the script of the game, and their high-powered offense started to wake up. Creighton started executing in transition and went on a 14-4 run that gave the Bluejays the lead back, 40-37.

With 14:56 remaining in regulation, Dar made his presence felt off the bench and gave the Pirates the lift they needed to take control of the game back. He had 11 points and four rebounds in just eight minutes to help extend the lead to nine with three minutes to play.

While Creighton made a valiant effort down the stretch with a stepback Josh Dix three and clutch steal and layup by Hudson Greer, but ultimately was not enough to propel them to victory. The Pirates converted from the free throw line several times down the stretch to secure the 72-61 win, and now will face St. John’s Friday night.

The Johnnies moved on to the BIG EAST Semifinals after taking down Providence in the Quarterfinals 85-72. BIG EAST Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor finished with a double-double adding 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Johnnies.

The Pirates went 0–2 against the Johnnies in the regular season, most recently facing them on Seton Hall’s Senior Night at the Prudential Center just one week ago.

In their first matchup in January, the Pirates started strong and built a 15-point lead in the second half before a prolonged scoring drought allowed the Johnnies to take control. In the second meeting, on Senior Night, Ejiofor again filled the stat sheet for St. John’s as the Red Storm’s defense powered them to the win. Seton Hall shot just 1-for-11 from beyond the arc, a key reason the Pirates could not mount a late second-half comeback.

If the Pirates want to down the Johnnies on Friday, they have to focus on stopping Ejiofor and keeping him on the offensive glass. Oziyah Sellers and Ian Jackson have been key pieces for the Red Storm in their backcourt while Bryce Hopkins is coming off a 14-point performance against Providence Thursday.

If Seton Hall can force St. John’s to rely on three-point shots, limit their presence in the paint, and keep Clark, Payne, and Hines out of foul trouble, the Pirates should be able to stay competitive with the BIG EAST’s top seed.

With this being the Pirates first appearance in the BIG EAST Semifinals since 2021, and with their NCAA tournament resume hanging in the balance, the pressure will certainly be on Coach Holloway’s squad Friday night. Jack Pine and AJ Rayer will have the call for WSOU at 5:30 p.m. with pregame coverage starting at 5:00 p.m.

AJ Rayer can be reached at alexander.rayer@student.shu.edu.

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