Pirates Upset UConn in Overtime Thriller

Published: Saturday, February 15, 2025

by AJ Rayer

NEWARK, N.J. — Seton Hall (7-18, 2-12) rallied past UConn (17-8, 9-5) in overtime for its biggest win of the season. Dylan Addae-Wusu forced OT with a late 3-pointer before Scotty Middleton’s tip-in sealed the shocking upset.

Entering Saturday, UConn was a 14-point favorites after a key win over No. 24 Creighton, and they looked poised to climb the BIG EAST standings. Meanwhile, Seton Hall had lost nine straight and were last in the conference. 

For Seton Hall, Scotty Middleton, Dylan Addae-Wusu, and Emmanuel Okorafor all returned after missing recent games due to injury. Addae-Wusu and Middleton played significant minutes for coach Holloway despite his initial plan to limit their action in their first game back.

The first half was a defensive slugfest. The Pirates pulled ahead thanks to Isaiah Coleman and Godswill Erheriene. Erheriene protected the paint and shut down UConn’s bigs, Jaylin Stewart and Samson Johnson. Coleman led the Pirates' offense with eight points in the first 20 minutes. Seton Hall led 25-22 and controlled the pace.

Out of halftime, Huskies’ coach Dan Hurley made crucial adjustments to regain control against the Pirates. Alex Karaban got hot to start the half, while Seton Hall went cold from the field. UConn reclaimed the lead with six minutes remaining.

Star freshman Liam McNeeley then took over the game for the Huskies. After struggling from the field all game, he knocked down a crucial 3-pointer to spark a quick 8-0 run for UConn. With under a minute to play, Seton Hall found itself down seven, its largest deficit of the day.

Against the odds, the Pirates rallied as Addae-Wusu drew a foul on UConn’s Solo Ball and sank three free throws, cutting the lead to four. A UConn turnover led to an Addae-Wusu layup, pulling Seton Hall within three with 12 seconds left.

The Pirates’ press forced another UConn turnover as McNeeley’s pass to Karaban sailed out of bounds. Out of a timeout, Dual found Erheriene cutting, but he missed a dunk that would have made it a one-point game. Coleman grabbed the rebound and swung it to Addae-Wusu, who buried a clutch three to force overtime.

In the extra period, UConn led by five with under a minute left. Erheriene's free throws made it a one-possession game. A McNeeley turnover and foul sent Coleman to the line for two more. Seton Hall trailed by one with nine seconds left.

Hurley used UConn’s last timeout to set up a baseline play. Karaban found Ball, but Seton Hall trapped him. Dual forced a steal, and Middleton drove for a layup. His first attempt missed, but he followed it to give the Pirates the lead. Diarra’s half-court heave fell short, sealing Seton Hall’s upset at Prudential Center.

Coach Holloway spoke postgame about the team’s preparation heading into Saturday.

“We did a really good job paying attention to detail over the past week. Our guys were locked in,” he said. “We have been preparing for these guys (UConn) for much longer than we usually do.”

He also spoke about Godswill Erheriene, who recorded his first career double-double in a career-high 38 minutes. “He has been battling against a lot of really good bigs in this league, and he is starting to get it a little bit,” he said. “He gave us toughness; he was our anchor in the paint.”

Seton Hall will be back in action Tuesday night against Marquette at 9 p.m. EST in Milwaukee. Joe Morales and Michael Bellifemini will have the call from Fiserv Forum. Pregame coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. on 89.5 FM WSOU.

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

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