Pirates Win 90-83 in Double Overtime Thriller

Published: Thursday, November 20, 2025

by Thomas Mazurowski

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall Pirates (4-0) triumphed against the Fordham Rams (3-3) in a back and forth thriller at Historic Walsh Gymnasium on Thursday night.

The matchup opened with two fast paced-offenses going head-to-head. Jada Eads led the Pirates’ charge, snatching a three-pointer and a pair of assists early on. The Rams responded with a pick-and-roll offense, but Seton Hall’s defense flooded the paint. A pair of late field goals from Ja’Kahla Craft put the Pirates ahead 21-16 heading into the second.

Fordham had an answer in the second quarter, outscoring the Hall 18-15. Fordham guard Alexis Black tied it at 24-24 with a mid-period three pointer. The Pirates broke free and pulled ahead, but Black’s shot from range was spot on.

Two more threes put the score at 32-27 in favor of Fordham. Despite struggling with defensive rebounds and ball possession, Seton Hall managed to finish the half ahead 36-34.

Both teams pressed hard defensively in the third, allowing for fast breaks into wide-open paint. Shailyn Pinkney came out swinging for the blue, putting two layups in and drawing fouls early in the quarter. Black shifted away from the arc to go low, picking up some close shots of her own.

Fordham’s offense became top-heavy with Black at the charge. 11 of 20 points secured by the Rams in the third quarter were produced by the Junior. On the other side, the Pirates' depth was on full display despite struggling to produce. Six scorers, including several off the bench, made up the Hall’s 18-point offensive effort in the third, tying the game at 54-54.

Physical play was prominent throughout the night, and it only ramped up in the fourth quarter. Fordham shut down the Pirates offense completely in what looked to be the final minutes of the game, at the cost of committing three fouls that kept Seton Hall in the running.

A desperate Seton Hall defense recovered the ball with mere seconds to go, behind 70-72. In a critical turn of events, Anastasija Veljovic fouled Savannah Catalon, who made both free throws to force overtime.

Fordham won the tipoff, but would not produce. Both defenses continued to push the issue, guarding to the half-point line and leaving room down low. Black and Seton Hall’s Zahara Bishop both drew fouls down low, pushing the score to 73-75. The extra five ended with both teams at 77.

Pirates won the next tipoff, and senior Mariana Valenzuela opened the period with a mid-range shot. Valenzuela led the Pirate’s offense throughout the night, picking up 21 points that included five three-pointers.

Valenzuela’s strong opening seemed to set fire to the Seton Hall offense. Catalon and Messiah Hunter nailed back-to-back shots from the arc, while Pinkney and Bishop drew fouls. Fordham trailed by 6 in the closing minute, soon falling to the Pirates 90-83.

Physicality defined the matchup buzzer-to-buzzer. The two teams combined racked up 52 personal fouls and 40 turnovers. Seton Hall was given 45 shots from the charity stripe, amounting to 32 additional points.

Black put on a career-defining performance for Fordham, notching 42 points on the night, including seven three-pointers.

After a nailbiter in South Orange, the Seton Hall Pirates will head to Princeton to face the Tigers on Tuesday, December 2 at 7:00 P.M. where Ryder Nuesell and Ryan Nelke will have the call.

Thomas Mazurowski can be reached at thomas.mazurowski@student.shu.edu 

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