Credit: GR Productions
Pirates Look to Bounce Back against Butler following First Loss of Season
Published: Thursday, December 4, 2025
by Jake Marcial
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- The Seton Hall Pirates (4-1) return to Walsh Gymnasium on Thursday night to take on the Butler Bulldogs (4-4) in an early-season BIG EAST matchup.
The Pirates suffered their first loss of the season against the Princeton Tigers on Tuesday after a fourth quarter comeback from the Tigers.
Seton Hall was led by Savannah Catalon, who notched her second consecutive 20-point performance with 24 points, along with five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Mariana Valenzuela and Jada Eads also had strong performances, each contributing 13 points. Eads also brought down 10 rebounds to log her first double-double of the season, the third of her career.
Although they were mostly efficient on the night, shooting 43.2% from the field, the Pirates left plenty of points on the floor. They shot 7/23 from three, just 30%, and were 13-21 from the line.
Princeton, on the other hand, shot 42.3% from three and went 15-16 from the line. In the fourth quarter, the Pirates were just 1-6 from three and 2-6 from the line.
Looking forward to Butler, the Pirates look to remain undefeated at home on the season. They swept both games against the Bulldogs last season and have won the last three matchups between the two teams. The Pirates are also 9-1 against Butler going back to the start of the 2020 season, and have not lost to Butler at home since 2014.
Butler is led by Lily Zeinstra, who averages almost 14 points per game, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. She also shoots at a 52.6% rate, along with a 47.1% three-point shooting percentage. She has scored double-digits in every game this season, and scored 9 points with 11 rebounds in Butler’s last visit to Walsh Gymnasium.
Butler has yet to have a winning season in the 2020s, coming off of a 16-18 record in the 2024-25 season. They made an appearance in the WNIT, where they beat the University of Illinois, Chicago, before their season was ended by Purdue Fort Wayne.
The Bulldogs have played one game on the road, a game at Indiana, which they lost 72-53. They most recently played in the Fort Myers Tip-Off event, beating Dayton in their first game before dropping one to Georgia.
After two consecutive very tightly contested games for the Pirates, they get their first opportunity to show how they are able to bounce back after a loss in the 2025-26 season. Butler holds their opponents to about 65 points per game, while Seton Hall scores 83 points per game, so the story will be about which side of the ball will dominate for either team.
The Seton Hall Pirates return home after their first loss of the season. Tipoff is at 7:00 P.M., with Jack Pine and Joe Morales on the call for 89.5 FM WSOU.
Jake Marcial can be reached at jacob.marcial@student.shu.eduPosted in: sports,