Pirates Fall as St. John's Clinches BIG EAST Title

Published: Sunday, March 2, 2025

by Patrick Corsello

NEW YORK – The Seton Hall Pirates (7-22, 2-16) put up a valiant effort, but couldn’t outlast the St. John’s Red Storm (26-4, 17-2) on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, as they fell 71-61. With this win, St. John’s clinched the BIG EAST regular season title for the first time since 1985, finishing undefeated at home.

Seton Hall left it all on the court and didn’t have much to hang its head about. Dylan Addae-Wusu had an impressive day, finishing with a team-high 18 points against his former team, along with a team-leading seven assists.

The games are dwindling for Addae-Wusu, a graduate student in his final season of college basketball. Someone needed to step up for the Pirates against the conference's top team, and No. 0 in blue delivered.

Another bright spot was Isaiah Coleman, who appears to be the boom-or-bust factor for the Pirates' offense. If Coleman doesn’t contribute, it’s hard to see where the points will come from. Coleman was second on the team in scoring with 15 points, including 10 in the second half.

Unfortunately for the Pirates, they left potential points off the board at the free-throw line. This will be a key talking point, as Seton Hall shot under 50% from the stripe, going 9-for-21. With the game going back and forth until the final minutes, the Pirates had a chance to build a lead if their free-throw percentage had been higher.

On the other side of the ball, St. John's RJ Luis Jr. led the team with 21 points. Luis Jr., the Red Storm’s leading scorer, entered the game averaging 17.7 points. Zuby Ejiofor was also a problem for Seton Hall, posting 17 points and 10 rebounds in 37 minutes.

The Pirates matched St. John’s physicality for most of the game and kept pace, but the Red Storm’s 41-23 rebounding edge and plus-three turnover margin were enough to secure the win at home.

The Pirates matched St. John’s physicality for most of the game and kept pace, but the Red Storm’s 41-23 rebounding edge and plus-three turnover margin were enough to secure the win at home.

While these teams are clearly heading in different directions to end the season, Seton Hall showed that when it plays a full 40 minutes, it can compete with some of the best teams in college basketball.

The Pirates' next game will be back at the Rock in Newark on Tuesday for Senior Night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Eastern, with Mike Federico and Spencer Gonzales on the call. You can listen live on 89.5 FM WSOU, where pregame coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. with Brian Henderson and Mike Bellifemini breaking down the matchup.

Patrick Corsello is an Assistant Music Director at WSOU 89.5 FM and can be reached at patrick.corsello@student.shu.edu. 

Posted in: sports,