Seton Hall Sets the Tone at Walsh in Win Over CCSU, Prepares for Kansas State Showdown

Published: Thursday, December 4, 2025

by David Martino

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall Pirates (8-1) sailed past the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (5-3) Wednesday night by a score of 77-61, as they took control and established their dominance in the second half of the contest. 

The Pirates jumped out to an early 8-0 start in the beginning of the first half but quickly found difficulties guarding fast break points and allowed the Blue Devils to catch up. However, Seton Hall adjusted during the first timeout, and the Pirates were back in business, reclaiming a commanding lead over the Blue Devils to close out the first half.

Budd Clark claimed his first double-double as a Pirate along with multiple players dropping double digit points. Along with Clark, the other names that tallied double digits points included AJ Staton-McCray, Mike Williams III, and TJ Simpkins, which contributed to this major win for The Hall.

The Pirates made their presence known from beyond the arc, as they knocked down an impressive 55% of their attempts, and were effective in the perimeter and paint, with an impressive 45.8% field goal percentage.

There were some worries from Coach Shaheen Halloway coming into the game with “nothing going” from their walkthrough earlier this afternoon, but he was pleasantly surprised with the performance his team delivered, as they were a dominant force that the Blue Devils could not find an answer for. 

With the win, Seton Hall maintained an undefeated record at the Walsh Gymnasium this season with a 3-0 record, which is what is typically expected out of this program, contrast to their slip up against Fordham last year.

Following this game, they will look to close out non-conference play with a bang.  Their next contest features a road battle with the Kansas State Wildcats this Saturday, before hosting the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to close out the early part of this season’s schedule.

The Pirates will be game planning against a familiar face for this matchup against, with this being Abdi Bashir Jr. Bashir Jr. transferred to Kansas State this past offseason, but erupted for 28 points on six three-pointers when Monmouth upset Seton Hall 63-51 last year, so this will surely be a player that Coach Holloway will want to shut down in this game.

Pregame coverage for this road test against the Wildcats begins at 3:45 p.m., with tipoff scheduled for 4:00 p.m.  Jack Pine and Lauren Reese will be on the call for 89.5 WSOU, as the Pirates seek to secure their ninth win in their first ten contests.

David Martino can be reached at david.martino@student.shu.edu.

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