Pirates Earn Much-Needed Home Win Over Wagner

Published: Saturday, November 16, 2024

by AJ Rayer

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall Pirates (2-2) returned to their winning ways Saturday afternoon with a 54-28 victory over the Wagner Seahawks (1-3). The Pirates were dominant on defense, forcing 11 Wagner turnovers and holding the Seahawks to just 24% shooting from the field.

Wagner jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead over the Pirates in the opening minutes, led by guard Javier Ezguerra and forward Keyontae Lewis. Chaunce Jenkins put Seton Hall on the board at the 16:30 mark of the first half.

Seton Hall’s slow start didn’t last long. The Pirates quickly turned the tide, dominating the rest of the game at Walsh Gym.

Wagner struggled to find open looks and committed multiple shot clock violations due to the Pirates' strong on-ball defense. Seton Hall’s ability to switch on screens added flexibility to their defensive efforts. At one point, Wagner endured a nine-minute scoring drought in the first half.

Offensively, Yacine Toumi and Chaunce Jenkins led the way for Seton Hall. Toumi delivered his best performance in a Pirates uniform, scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. His ability to stretch the floor at 6-foot-10 created driving opportunities for teammates like Jenkins and Isaiah Coleman. Jenkins finished with 16 points, while Coleman added seven.

Ten different Pirates scored for head coach Shaheen Holloway, who emptied his bench and gave extended minutes to his backups. Forwards David Tubek and Gus Yalden both logged 13 minutes and scored two points each.

Saturday’s game also marked the Pirate debut of Louisville transfer Emmanuel Okorafor. In just eight minutes of action, Okorafor scored his first points for Seton Hall when Dylan Addae-Wusu found him cutting to the basket for an easy two-handed dunk.

Postgame, Coach Shaheen Holloway emphasized the importance of getting Emmanuel Okorafor back on the floor ahead of the Charleston trip starting Nov. 21. Okorafor has participated in just four practices since returning from injury but is expected to take on an increased role for Seton Hall moving forward.

Today provided an opportunity for the Pirates to regain confidence as a team. Coach Holloway stressed the importance of getting players like Isaiah Coleman and Dylan Addae-Wusu back on track after the team’s tough start to the season.

Looking ahead, Seton Hall will head to the Charleston Classic in South Carolina, where they will face their toughest test of the season so far against VCU, an extremely talented team from the A-10 Conference. The Pirates will look to build on their 54-28 victory over Wagner as they prepare for this challenging matchup.

Michael Bellifemini and Joe Morales will be on the call for WSOU 89.5 FM in Charleston on Thursday, Nov. 21. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 4:45.

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

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