Seton Hall Looks to Ride Momentum Into Battle Versus Monmouth

Published: Wednesday, November 12, 2025

by Caitlin Barrar

NEWARK, N.J. – The Seton Hall Pirates (3-0) are set to return to the Prudential Center to host the Monmouth Hawks (1-1) on Thursday night.

The Pirates are fresh off a statement 23-point win against the Fairfield Stags on Monday night. Much like in the game against Wagner, the Pirates’ first half was not the most fluid outing. They shot just 33% from the field and 22% beyond the arc. 

However, unlike the Wagner game, they were able to make adjustments at halftime and pull away from the Stags, outscoring them in the second half 47-31. Led by Budd Clark, the team found their rhythm offensively, connecting on 49% of their shots while only committing two turnovers.

Najai Hines proved once again how valuable he is to this team finishing with a ten point, ten rebound double-double to go along with two of the Pirates 13 blocks. His great performance was accompanied by A.J. Staton-McCray who contributed 13 points on three of four shooting from deep, and chipped in four of the team’s 12 steals.

The Pirates will now look to get redemption for the tough showing they had against the Hawks last season, where they only scored 51 points on the way to a 12-point loss. The program is 13-1 all-time against Monmouth.

The Hawks finished their 2024-25 campaign with a 13-20 overall record, and 5th place finish in the CAA conference, posting a 10-8 record in conference play.

Monmouth is coming into the Rock off a 24-point victory against Caldwell University. The team, led by freshman forward Stefanos Spartalis’ and sophomore guard Justin Ray’s 16 point outings, shot nearly 50% from the floor coupled with 52 points in the paint.

Against Fairfield, the Pirates struggled with foul trouble as they committed 21 fouls and had two of their top scorers sitting on the bench with four fouls each. Seeing as Monmouth loves to play primarily in the painted area, the Pirates will have to be more disciplined on the defensive end as this is a game they cannot afford to have a player like Stephon Payne III on the bench.

The key for the Pirates in this one is getting off to a strong start and limiting the Hawks off the glass as they corralled 53 boards in their last game. However, the Pirates also found success at the rim where they converted 16 offensive rebounds into 19 second chance points led by Hines and Tajuan Simpkins, who are poised to shine against a team that battles on the boards.

Seton Hall will need to be prepared to be forced to play to their weaknesses around the perimeter. The Hawks are a goliath in paint protection only allowing Caldwell to score 18 points around the rim. This is where Simpkins and Staton-McCray can look to connect from three, helping to stretch the floor and open up the Pirates’ offense.

The Pirates will look to ride their momentum to their first 4-0 start in two years when they take on the Hawks Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. with Nick DiBlasi and Chris Heite on the call, with all the action live on 89.5 FM WSOU.

Caitlin Barrar can be reached at caitlin.barrar@student.shu.edu.

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