Credit: GR Productions
Pirates' Tournament Hopes in Doubt After Getting Swept by DePaul
Published: Thursday, February 19, 2026
by Thomas Mazurowski
NEWARK, N.J. – The Seton Hall Pirates (18-9, 8-8) suffered another heartbreaking loss Wednesday night, falling 69-57 to the DePaul Blue Demons (14-12, 6-9) after an abysmal second half.
An 18-5 run in the final six minutes left the Pirates deflated after an otherwise competitive game. The Seton Hall squad struggled on either end of the court in the closing minutes, giving DePaul a number of opportunities from the free throw line while failing to produce for themselves.
NJ Benson led the Blue Demons offensively, maintaining a strong paint presence throughout the night en route to 21 points and eight rebounds. Budd Clark took the helm for the Pirates with 19 points, followed by AJ Staton-McCray with 13.
The minutes following tipoff were hotly contested. Early foul trouble turned the ball over several times before Layden Blocker drew first blood for DePaul. Seton Hall fired back with three shots from beyond the arc, building an early 13-7 lead.
DePaul would find some momentum of their own. Pushing the play into the paint on both ends helped the Blue Demons control the pace, leaving it 21-21 in the middle of the period.
Slow, physical play kept DePaul slightly ahead for most of the first half. Benson was ever-present at the posts, while CJ Gunn and Fabian Flores each had a few inside looks of their own. The Pirates did not leave it unanswered, as Najai Hines nabbed 6 points from the lane while Clark drove in for some impressive layups. They entered halftime 35-33 in favor of the Pirates.
Seton Hall shot out of a cannon coming back from the break. Clark scored within seconds after another hard drive down low, followed by a similar basket from Staton-McCray. The Pirates built a six-point lead before DePaul struck back with a three from Gunn, starting an explosive stretch for the senior guard.
Eight points in three minutes from Gunn put DePaul within one, 44-43. The Blue Demons took control shortly after, quickly building a four point buffer off of back-to-back threes from Theo Pierre-Justin. Seton Hall would take back the lead for the final time off of two foul shots from Clark.
Everything fell apart for the Pirates with five minutes to go. Fatigue looked to set in as DePaul physically wore down Seton Hall’s offense. Late momentum from Brandon Maclin, Benson’s dominance at the boards, and excessive fouling from the Pirates squad let the Blue Devil’s offense run off in the closing minutes.
“We looked like we were in quicksand,” Coach Shaheen Holloway said in the postgame press conference.
Physicality won it for DePaul. The Blue Demons commanded the play for most the matchup, even while they were behind. An oppressive perimeter defense forced the Pirates to go low, where they only met more resistance. DePaul also collected 35 boards to Seton Hall’s 22, including outrebounding the Pirates 13 to three on offense.
Seton Hall will be back at the Prudential Center to face the Georgetown Hoyas on Saturday at 6 p.m., with Jack Pine and Caitlin Barrar on the call for 89.5 FM WSOU.
Thomas Mazurowski can be reached at thomas.mazurowski@student.shu.edu.Posted in: sports,