Pirates Head to Princeton Looking to Remain Undefeated through Five

Published: Tuesday, December 2, 2025

by Nick Diodato

PRINCETON, N.J. -- The Seton Hall Pirates (4-0) hit the road to face the Princeton Tigers (7-1) at 7:00 P.M. in Jadwin Gymnasium on Tuesday evening. Seton Hall lost their last matchup vs the Tigers last November, 78-75.

The Pirates are coming off of a double-overtime win against the Fordham Rams on November 20, winning 90-83. Star forward Mariana Valenzuela was the leader in the win, putting up 21 points on 7-12 shooting, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 5 threes. Valenzuela continues to shine this season as a breakout transfer for this team, coming from Florida State.

Savannah Catalon was the other 20-point scorer for the night, seemingly doing it all. Despite shooting 4-13 from the field, she had 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and shot 100% from the line, a perfect 10 for 10.

The third star for Seton Hall was Jada Eads. Although she did not shoot at her best rate, going 4 for 16, she still managed to put up 16 points in 27 minutes, as well as 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a pair of threes.

Looking at the Princeton matchup, the Pirates have a 13-10 all-time series lead. However, Princeton has won the last three games, which have all been decided by four points or less.

Princeton is coming off of another strong season, with a record of 21-8 and 12-2 in the Ivy League. The Tigers have been the favorites to win the Ivy League this season and are favored against the Pirates. They are currently on a five-game winning streak, and their only loss this season came from #7 Maryland.

The key players to watch for Princeton are Madison St. Rose, Ashley Chea, Skye Belker, and Fadima Tall. Chea was unanimously named to the All-Ivy First Team last season, while Belker and Tall were named to the Second Team. St. Rose is coming off a season where she only suited up four times, before missing the rest of the season with injury.

This year, she is averaging 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2.5 assists. Following a sloppy performance vs DePaul, she will look to bounce back against the Pirates. Additionally, five Tigers are currently averaging double-figures in scoring, so Seton Hall will need to be on top of their game both offensively and defensively.

This game will be a test for the Pirates and could be a turning point for the early season. The matchup will be a close one, with both offenses and defenses putting up similar numbers.  

The Seton Hall Pirates will look to continue their undefeated start to the season with a five-game win streak, with Ryder Nuesell and Ryan Nelke on the call for 89.5 FM WSOU.

Nick Diodato can be reached at nicholas.diodato@student.shu.edu 

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