Seton Hall vs. Wagner Preview

Published: Thursday, November 6, 2025

by Jake Marcial

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall Pirates (1-0) return to action at historic Walsh Gymnasium Friday night as they host the Wagner Seahawks (0-1).

The Pirates kicked off the season on a high note after beating Saint Peter’s on Monday at the Prudential Center by a final score of 77-50, marking their seventh straight victory against Saint Peter’s and their fourth consecutive win in the season opener.

The star of the night was highly-touted freshman Najai Hines, who filled the stat sheet with 12 points, nine rebounds, and six blocks, the most by a Pirate freshman in a game since 2007. Stephon Payne and Tajaun Simpkins followed with double-digit scoring efforts of their own.

The Pirates’ defense stood out as well, forcing 15 Peacock turnovers with nine steals and nine blocks, turning those turnovers into 23 points. They also allowed no fastbreak points and only 10 second-chance points.

The Pirates' attention now turns to Wagner, another team they have had great success against in the past. Seton Hall has never lost to Wagner, owning an 11-0 record against the Seahawks going back to 1999. The two faced off at Walsh Gym last season, with the Pirates winning that matchup 54-28.

The Seahawks are coming off a 14-16 season in the 2024-25 season, finishing 7th in the Northeast Conference with a 6-10 record in conference play. 

Wagner opened up their season at Virginia Commonwealth on Monday, dropping their opener by a score of 103-74. They were led by graduate student forward Sam Smith, who scored 16 points with a 60% shooting rate. 

The Seahawks had four players score double digits, but allowed six VCU players to score double-digit points, and were outshot 14-7 from beyond the arc. Every Seahawk player finished the game with multiple fouls as well, committing 25 in total.

The Pirates found much success in the paint against Saint Peter’s, scoring 23 of their 77 points there, which could be a big area of emphasis against Wagner. The Seahawks allowed 40 points in the paint against VCU, and gave up 16 offensive rebounds, resulting in 24 second-chance points. 

Although Seton Hall only shot 15 three-pointers in the season opener, Wagner allowed a heavy volume against VCU, who shot 14-34 from three, so the Pirates may also be able to score some more points from range.

After an exciting season opener on Monday, the Pirates will try to continue building momentum through their non-conference schedule when they take on the Seahawks at 7:00 p.m on Friday. Ryder Nuesell and Jacob Glick will have the call on 89.5 FM WSOU.

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

Posted in: sports,