The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, was buzzing on January 31, 2026, as the Seton Hall Pirates pulled off a dramatic 69-64 victory over the Marquette Golden Eagles in a classic BIG EAST men’s basketball showdown. In front of a crowd of 7,500, the Pirates erased an eight-point halftime deficit and sealed their first season sweep of Marquette since the 2020-21 campaign. For Marquette, the loss stung—extending their winless road record to 0-10 and dropping them to 8-15 overall, 3-9 in conference play, while Seton Hall improved to 16-6 and 6-5 in the BIG EAST.
The first half belonged to Marquette, who came out firing on all cylinders. The Golden Eagles, led by Royce Parham’s 10 points and Nigel James Jr.’s 12, shot a sizzling 53.6 percent from the floor and knocked down eight of their first twelve three-point attempts, matching their season high for a half. Their rapid-passing offense and hot shooting from deep pushed Seton Hall’s defense to the brink, and by halftime, Marquette held a commanding 41-33 lead. Ben Gold chipped in with another double-digit performance—his third in four games—while freshman guard Adrien Stevens set a career-high with five assists before the break.
But if there’s one thing Seton Hall has shown this season, it’s resilience. The Pirates, notorious for second-half comebacks, wasted no time after the break. Budd Clark, the relentless point guard who’s become the team’s heartbeat, orchestrated a 12-3 run to open the half. Clark’s midrange mastery and pick-and-roll chemistry with Stephon Payne flipped the script in just five minutes, giving Seton Hall their first lead at 45-44 with 14 minutes to play. Clark would finish with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting, six assists, four rebounds, two steals, and just one turnover in 34 minutes—a stat-stuffing performance that prompted Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway to praise his impact: "I just wanted to find a way to win, whatever it takes – me getting an assist, me getting steals, me scoring. I brought energy to the game and energy to my team."
As the second half unfolded, the game turned into a tug-of-war. Marquette, refusing to fold, regained the lead briefly before Seton Hall answered back. The teams traded baskets and defensive stops, neither able to pull away by more than five points. Marquette’s Royce Parham, who ended the night with 17 points and five rebounds, continued his run of double-figure scoring—now nine of his last twelve league games as a starter. Nigel James Jr., meanwhile, kept his streak of double-digit games alive, now at twelve straight in BIG EAST play, finishing with 16 points but struggling with six turnovers as Clark’s defense wore him down.
With under four minutes remaining, the tension was palpable. Marquette tied the game at 60-60 on a layup by James Jr., and then again at 64-64 thanks to Parham’s clutch finish with 1:46 left. But Seton Hall had an answer—and it was a sequence straight out of a coach’s dream. As the shot clock ticked down in a tie game, Clark found himself trapped by two defenders near the scorer’s table. He managed to thread a pass to Josh Rivera, the senior forward, who pivoted and swung the ball to the left wing. There, A.J. Staton-McCray stood wide open. He took his time, squared up, and let it fly. Swish. The Pirates led 67-64 with just over a minute to go.
"Josh made the right play," Staton-McCray said after the game. "Just knock it down. All the shots, all the work we put in, that's how you have confidence in that last shot." Even Clark, who delivered the initial pass, felt it was destiny: "As soon as he passed it, I knew it was going in. It was a great pass."
Seton Hall’s defense clamped down in the final seconds, forcing a turnover and securing the game with a pair of Budd Clark free throws. The Pirates outscored Marquette 36-23 in the second half, holding the Golden Eagles to just 39.1 percent shooting and forcing seven turnovers. Seton Hall’s dominance on the boards was also decisive—they outrebounded Marquette 20-8 after halftime, with Stephon Payne contributing nine rebounds and three blocks, providing what coach Holloway called "a lot of things that don't show up (in the stats), and we needed all of that stuff."
Josh Rivera’s "mop-up man" performance didn’t go unnoticed either. In just 18 minutes, he tallied six points (on perfect 3-of-3 shooting), six rebounds (three offensive), three assists, and a steal, all without a single turnover. Holloway explained his decision to trust Rivera in the crunch: "I needed more rebounding and energy down the stretch, and I thought he could give us that. He did, and it was good for us."
For Marquette, the loss was another chapter in a frustrating season away from home. The Golden Eagles remain winless on the road and have now lost both meetings to Seton Hall this season—each time watching late leads slip away. Redshirt junior guard Sean Jones missed his ninth straight game with a foot injury, and the lineup of James Jr., Stevens, Ross, Parham, and Gold couldn’t quite close the deal despite a strong start. Senior guard Chase Ross added seven points, moving into 45th place all-time at Marquette with 1,069 career points.
Seton Hall’s win was significant in several ways. It marked the 40th all-time meeting between the programs and the first season sweep for the Pirates in five years. Statistically, Seton Hall held Marquette to 64 points—making them 10-2 this season when allowing 65 or fewer. The Pirates also dominated inside, scoring 42 points in the paint compared to Marquette’s 26.
The Pirates now look ahead to a crucial road test at Villanova on February 4, a Quad 1 opportunity that could boost their NCAA Tournament hopes. As bracketologist Brad Watchel noted, "A win would change the entire outlook of the season." Meanwhile, Marquette will regroup and prepare for a home clash against Butler on National Marquette Day, February 7.
What a game it was—full of momentum swings, clutch plays, and the kind of drama that defines BIG EAST basketball. Seton Hall’s ability to close out tight contests continues to set them apart, and with Budd Clark at the helm, the Pirates remain a team nobody wants to face down the stretch.