On a frigid Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, the Seton Hall Pirates delivered a heart-stopping comeback to stun the Marquette Golden Eagles 79-73 in a Big East showdown that had fans on the edge of their seats until the final buzzer. What started as a hard-fought, back-and-forth contest turned into a showcase of grit, resilience, and late-game heroics, as Seton Hall erased a double-digit deficit in the second half and closed the game on a jaw-dropping 13-0 run.
For Marquette, it was a bitter pill to swallow. The Golden Eagles, led by a career-high 19 points from Ben Gold coming off the bench, seemed to have regained their swagger after a rocky start. Trailing by as many as eight early in the first half and shooting just 2-of-12 from the field, Marquette’s trio of Nigel James Jr., Ben Gold, and Royce Parham sparked a 17-4 surge to give the home team a 25-20 lead with just over eight minutes left in the half. Marquette shot an impressive 7-of-9 during that stretch, electrifying the crowd and shifting the momentum.
But Seton Hall, now 12-2 overall and 2-1 in Big East play, refused to wilt under the pressure. The Pirates’ depth and defensive intensity, hallmarks of head coach Shaheen Holloway’s system, came alive when it mattered most. Senior center Stephon Payne put forth a performance for the ages, hauling in 22 rebounds—Seton Hall’s first 20-board game since Angel Delgado’s legendary effort in 2018—and adding 14 points, three blocks, and a crucial presence in the paint. Holloway was quick to praise his big man after the game, saying, “But man, Steph Payne, look at those 22 rebounds, that’s unbelievable.”
The first half was a seesaw affair, punctuated by a barrage of three-pointers from both sides. After Adam Clark’s triple trimmed Seton Hall’s deficit to two, James Jr. and Seton Hall’s A.J. Staton-McCrary traded bombs, combining for five threes in a three-minute span. Staton-McCrary’s back-to-back daggers gave the Pirates a brief lead, but a Gold layup steadied Marquette. The Golden Eagles finished the half strong, but Seton Hall’s late push—including a pair of free throws with just 1.4 seconds left—gave the visitors a 39-38 edge at the break.
The second half saw Marquette come out firing, erasing a six-point Seton Hall lead with a stunning 16-0 run. Suddenly, the Golden Eagles were up 55-45 with under 13 minutes to play, prompting a Seton Hall timeout and a sense that the home team might finally snap its losing skid. Parham’s three-pointer kept the lead at double digits, and Marquette’s free-throw shooting (8-of-8 in the final seven minutes) seemed to put the game out of reach.
But basketball, as any fan knows, is a game of runs—and Seton Hall saved its best for last. The Pirates’ defensive pressure, which had been largely neutralized by Marquette’s careful ball-handling (zero turnovers in the first half, just three deep into the second), finally cracked the Golden Eagles’ composure. Backup guards Tajuan Simpkins and Trey Parker injected energy and fresh legs, with Simpkins’ two late steals directly leading to four points in the final three minutes. Holloway’s timely switch to a zone defense—a wrinkle he’d been saving since his days at Saint Peter’s—threw Marquette off balance and ignited the Pirates’ closing surge.
“Everybody who played down the stretch gave us a boost. When you’re trying to build and become a decent team, that’s what you need,” Holloway reflected in his postgame radio interview. He also lauded the return of freshman center Najai Hines, who contributed six points, two rebounds, and two blocks in just eight minutes after missing the first two Big East games with an undisclosed ailment. “Just what I thought, (Hines is) out of shape, he’s just got to play basketball,” Holloway said, before turning the spotlight back to Payne’s rebounding feat.
Seton Hall’s final push was as much about will as it was about tactics. Down seven with under three minutes to play, the Pirates clamped down defensively, forced Marquette into rushed shots, and dominated the glass—outrebounding the Eagles 51-33 on the night. Marquette, for all its earlier poise, missed its final 10 field goal attempts and watched helplessly as Seton Hall strung together basket after basket. Budd Clark was instrumental as well, tallying 13 points, six assists, four rebounds, and three steals, finishing with a team-best plus-22 in the plus-minus column.
For Marquette, the loss was a stinging reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in the Big East. The Golden Eagles, now 5-9 overall and 0-3 in conference play, dropped their first game to Seton Hall since January 2024, snapping a three-game winning streak in the series. Despite the defeat, there were bright spots: Nigel James Jr. notched 16 points, reaching double figures for the sixth time in seven games, while Parham’s 15 points marked his second-best outing of the season. Marquette’s ball control was impressive for much of the night, finishing with just eight turnovers—none in the first half—but the inability to close out the game proved costly.
Statistically, the teams were closely matched, but Seton Hall’s slight edge in shooting (39.1% from the field, 35% from three) and dominance on the boards made the difference. Marquette shot 36.5% overall and just 29.6% from deep, numbers that tell the story of a team that struggled to finish when it counted most.
Looking ahead, Seton Hall’s victory puts them in rare company—the last Pirates squad to start better than 12-2 was the 1992-93 powerhouse that swept the Big East regular-season and tournament titles. The Pirates now prepare for a high-stakes home clash with Creighton, while Marquette faces a daunting road trip to No. 4 UConn, a matchup that could test their resolve and offer a shot at redemption.
“This is a big win for us, to keep fighting and fighting,” Holloway emphasized, also pointing out the challenging schedule his team has faced. “And I’ll be honest with you—the Big East didn’t do us no favors either (with the scheduling). For us to play on the 23rd and then come out here (after an NCAA-mandated three days off), kind of ridiculous, especially when they had 10 days off. Nobody wants to say it—I’ll say it.”
As the dust settles, Seton Hall’s gritty road win stands as a testament to their depth, coaching, and never-say-die attitude. For Marquette, the challenge is clear: regroup, refocus, and find a way to close out games in the unforgiving crucible of Big East basketball.
