Credit: GR Productions
Full Team Effort Helps Seton Hall Beat Xavier in Final Road Game of the Season
Published: Tuesday, March 3, 2026
by Jake Marcial
CINCINNATI, O.H. - The Seton Hall Pirates (20-10, 10-9) took down the Xavier Musketeers 77-68 (14-16, 6-13) at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati to secure a 20-win season in their final road game of the season.
The Pirates played spoiler on Xavier’s senior night as they got a huge win to stay afloat in NCAA tournament talks. The win also locked up their spot as a top five seed in the BIG EAST tournament, earning them a first round bye, meaning they will play in the 4/5 seed game on Thursday.
It was a streaky first half for both teams. The Pirates jumped out to an early 12-6 lead on the back of a swarming defense, ultimately ending the first half with 12 of their 33 points coming off forced turnovers.
The Musketeers were dealt a big blow early, as their leading scorer Tre Carroll left the game with an apparent hip injury after being knocked to the ground by Stephon Payne about four minutes into the game. He was unable to reenter the game.
It did not hurt Xavier’s offense, however, as they went on their own 7-0 run after Carroll’s exit, then another 13-2 run down the stretch of the first half, led by a 50% clip from beyond the arc. Some free throws by the Pirates in the final minutes eventually pulled them in front, 33-32, at halftime.
Both teams came out scorching hot in the second half. Through the first six minutes, both teams had made eight field goals and three three-pointers each. A.J. Staton-McCray hit all three of those triples for the Pirates, while All Wright knocked down two for the Musketeers.
Xavier found offense from unlikely suspect Pape N’Diaye in Carroll’s absence, as the 1.9 point-per-game scorer knocked down a couple of three-pointers. Staton-McCray hit his fourth three-ball of the second half to put the Pirates up as part of a 9-0 run. At the same time, Xavier began to struggle from the field, undergoing a stretch where they missed 12 of 13 shots from the field.
Even then, the Pirates could not completely pull away, going on their own 4-minute scoring drought until the last few minutes, and the game came all the way down to the wire. TJ Simpkins made a huge floater to put the Pirates up by seven with 1:17 left, forcing Xavier to foul the rest of the way and allowing the Pirates to close out the game.
The Pirates received solid offensive contributions from multiple players in this game. Budd Clark had another strong night, scoring 16 points and dishing out four assists. Staton-McCray finished with 12 points off those three-pointers, and Mike Williams also logged double-digit points with 10, along with five assists.
For Xavier, Filip Boravicanin led the way with 15 points and seven rebounds in Carroll’s absence. Pape N’Diaye put in his best performance of the season, with 10 points, six rebounds, and three blocks.
Seton Hall had some injury scares of their own, with Clark suffering an apparent quad injury in the second half, although he finished the game out. Najai Hines also seemed to injure his leg in the final minute of the game, and he limped off the court to sit the remainder of the night.
The Pirates now return home for senior night on Friday against #18 St. John’s, looking to build some final momentum going into the BIG EAST tournament and their hopes to get into the big dance. Joe Morales and Nick DiBlasi will have the call on Friday at 9:00 p.m. on 89.5 FM WSOU.
Jake Marcial can be reached at jacob.marcial@student.shu.edu.Posted in: sports,