Coleman's Career-High Not Enough in Loss to No. 10 Marquette

Published: Tuesday, January 21, 2025

by Victor Gonzalez

NEWARK, N.J. – A difficult season for the reigning 2024 NIT champions continued Tuesday night as the Seton Hall Pirates (6-13, 1-7) fell to the No. 10 Marquette Golden Eagles (16-3, 6-1), 76-59, at the Prudential Center.

The game started slow for both sides, but Marquette found its footing first, opening on a 9-2 scoring run. The Pirates responded with strong team defense and effective finishes at the rim, closing the gap to an 11-12 deficit at the 10-minute mark of the first half.

Marquette erupted on an 18-2 run, fueled by baskets from David Joplin, Kam Jones, and Ben Gold, to extend the lead to 30-13 with five minutes remaining in the first half. The Pirates, however, tightened up defensively and held Marquette to 0-for-12 from the field to close the half, narrowing the deficit to 33-21 at halftime.

Marquette flipped the script to start the second half, making eight of its first 12 field goals while Seton Hall faced a 52-32 deficit at the 12-minute mark. For the Pirates, a Jahseem Felton 3-point airball at the nine-minute mark summed up their offensive struggles for the remainder of the half.

The Pirates and Golden Eagles exchanged jabs, but the Golden Eagles took control and maintained their lead until the end of the game.

Despite Isaiah Coleman’s career-high 27 points on 9-for-14 shooting and nine rebounds, the Pirates struggled offensively. While they shot 48.8% from the field, they made just 9.1% of their 3-point attempts, hitting only one all game, and committed 24 turnovers — the second-most in a game since Coach Holloway took over.

The Pirates were once again shorthanded, missing guards Dylan Addae-Wusu, who sat out his third straight game with a foot injury, and Chaunce Jenkins, who was missed on offense.

Holloway acknowledged that his team looked good in spurts but needs to find consistency throughout the full 40 minutes of the game. “We just have to play hard. … When we play hard, good things happen,” Holloway said.

Holloway also mentioned the need for more players to step up in scoring roles with Addae-Wusu and Jenkins out. “We need guys other than Isaiah to score the basketball,” Holloway said. Prince Aligbe was the only other Pirate, along with Coleman, to score 10-plus points tonight.

The Pirates will have some time to regroup before traveling to Omaha to play Creighton on Saturday, Jan. 25. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m., with WSOU’s coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. on 89.5 FM. Chris Jones and Kyle Ferreira will have the call.

Victor Gonzalez can be reached at victor.gonzalez@student.shu.edu. 

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