Villanova Defeats Seton Hall in BIG EAST Opener

Published: Tuesday, December 17, 2024

by Chris Heite

VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Seton Hall Pirates (5-7) opened up BIG EAST play with a 79-67 loss against the Villanova Wildcats (8-4) on Tuesday night. The Pirates have not won a game at Finneran Pavillion since 1994.

It was a one-sided first half, with the Wildcats starting strong. Villanova forward Eric Dixon scored the team’s first seven points. Tyler Perkins also stood out, leading with 11 points in the first half.

Isaiah Coleman led the Pirates with nine points in the first half. Coleman, who has been solid in recent games, maintained his strong play in the first half of the conference opener.

Heading into the second half, the Wildcats kept up the pressure, with Perkins excelling from beyond the arc. The threat from 3-point range made it much more difficult for the Pirates to be effective defensively.

The second half exposed more weak spots for the Pirates as Villanova maintained a solid lead throughout. Dixon led the team with an impressive 25 points, while Perkins contributed a strong performance in the second half, finishing with 17.

For a team that has been solid defensively, the Hall struggled to keep up with the Wildcat offense, which came just short of 80 points. While there are many negatives to take away from this loss, there were a few positives as well.

Coleman continued to excel offensively, finishing with 22 points and four offensive rebounds. Despite a slow start, Coleman has proven to be one of the most valuable players in Seton Hall’s offensive scheme.

Looking further into the Hall, Dylan Addae-Wusu was right behind Coleman with 15 points. Addae-Wusu, a longtime member of Seton Hall, remains a valuable part of the team as conference play begins.

The last positive to note is arguably the centerpiece of the offense, Chaunce Jenkins. With 14 points in this matchup, Jenkins has proven to be the most valuable offensive player for this new-look Pirates squad, and he will be pivotal in the upcoming games.

There is certainly a lot to take away from this conference opener, and the Pirates must make the necessary adjustments to succeed in the BIG EAST.

The Pirates will return home for their BIG EAST home opener on Dec. 22 against the Georgetown Hoyas.

Tipoff for Seton Hall and Georgetown is set for 7 p.m. at the Prudential Center, with Mike Bellifemini and Brian Henderson on the call. Pregame coverage will begin on WSOU at 6:30 p.m.

Chris Heite can be reached at christopher.heite@student.shu.edu. 

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