Pirates Open BIG EAST Play with Win over Butler

Published: Thursday, December 4, 2025

by Jake Marcial

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- The Seton Hall Pirates (5-1) took down the Butler Bulldogs (4-5) 70-51 to kick off BIG EAST play on Thursday night at Walsh Gymnasium.

It was very sloppy on both sides in the first half. Neither team scored in the first quarter until a Butler layup at the 7:40 mark. Seton Hall was the first team to catch stride, jumping out to an early 11-4 lead. After a Butler three, the Pirates ended the first quarter on an 8-2 run, forcing three Butler turnovers to take a 19-9 lead at the first break.

The roles swapped at the beginning of the second quarter, as Butler quickly cut the Pirates’ lead to 19-14 after two minutes. The Pirates’ offense was nonexistent until the 6:23 mark in the quarter, when Mariana Valenzuela hit a three to end the run.

Valenzuela would end the quarter with five points to lead the Pirates. It was another sloppy quarter for Seton Hall, with 6 fouls to put Butler in the bonus with over four minutes left. They also turned the ball over seven times. The defense also took a step back, forcing no Butler turnovers.

Jada Eads was also kept out for a period of time after seemingly re-aggravating the hand injury she suffered in the Princeton game, but was able to return with about two minutes left. Seton Hall was outscored 13-10 in the quarter and went into the halftime break with a 29-22 lead.

The Pirates came out firing in the second half, forcing two turnovers in under a minute, turning them into four quick points and prompting an immediate Butler timeout. The Bulldogs hung around, though, going on their own 11-4 run to bring the score to 37-34 Seton Hall.

It stayed close the rest of the third quarter, with both teams going back and forth. With three seconds left in the quarter, the Pirates ran a full-court play and got a wide open layup for Ja’Kahla Craft, who beat the buzzer to give the Pirates momentum going into the final period with a 43-35 lead.

Seton Hall finally broke out offensively, scoring eight points in the first 2:30 of the quarter. Catalon and Valenzuela both hit three-pointers, both going perfect from beyond the arc in the fourth. Catalon had three, and Valenzuela added one.

The Pirates opened up a 21-point lead on the heels of a 15-2 run over the first five minutes. The three-point barrage from the Pirates helped them cruise to the finish line, where they ended the night with a 70-51 victory.

Mariana Valenzuela was the star once again. She notched a double-double with career-highs in points with 25 and rebounds with 13. She shot 11-15 from the field and 2-5 from beyond the arc. It was her second 20-point performance of the year, and her second in the last three games.

Savannah Catalon also had a strong performance, dropping 16 points on 4-5 from three and 50% from the field. She added three steals, and she has had three or more steals in every game so far this season.

The Pirates as a whole forced 19 Butler turnovers and held the Bulldogs to 33% from the field and 25% from three.

After opening BIG EAST play with the win, Seton Hall hits the road and takes on the NC State Wolfpack in Raleigh at 2:00 P.M. on Sunday, December 7. Joe Morales and Ryder Nuesell will be on the call for 89.5 FM WSOU.

Jake Marcial can be reached at jacob.marcial@student.shu.edu 

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