In their final regular season game scheduled in Walsh Gymnasium, the Seton Hall demolished the Wagner Seahawks, 54-28, on Saturday, Nov. 16.
This followed a pair of losses for the Pirates, including a heartbreaking 57-56 defeat against Fordham on Nov. 9, courtesy of a buzzer-beating floater by Rams’ senior guard Jackie Johnson III. The loss marked the first time since 1989 that the Pirates suffered a regular-season defeat to a non-league opponent at Walsh Gymnasium – interestingly, also against Fordham.
Looking to bounce back from such a heartbreaking loss, the Pirates faced Hofstra on Nov. 13; despite a tough contest, the Pirates also lost to the Pride by a single point,49-48. This extended their losing streak to two games, both of which were decided dramatically.
Seton Hall entered this game against the Wagner Seahawks with a record of 1 – 2, looking to break even on the season and gain momentum as they head to South Carolina for the Charleston Classic.
As the game tipped off, the defensive tone was set almost immediately by both teams, with the Pirates leading the way.
“When you come in with a new group of players like we have, the first thing you want to establish is a culture: and ours is our defense,” Coach Shaheen Holloway said after the game.
The defensive culture of the team was on full display, as the Pirates held the Seahawks to only 14 points on 22% from the field, 5-23, in the first half. As such, Wagner would suffer a nine-minute scoring drought late in the first, as the Pirates led by double digits going into halftime, 26-14.
Early in the first half, Seton Hall subbed in Scotty Middleton, a transfer from Ohio State.
“Scotty is a high-energy guy,” Holloway said. “He's a workaholic and plays with a lot of passion and energy, which I love.”
As one of 10 new players on the roster, Middleton is still looking to find his role. Holloway had high praise for the sophomore forward from Florida.
“My goal is to help him understand the things that he can do to help us; he can shoot, slash, rebound, and he has good size,” Holloway said. “I thought today he played really well, so I'm happy for him and hope it continues.”
Middleton contributed on both ends of the floor in this game and played with the high energy, passion, and work ethic that coach Holloway and the team depend on him for.
“Everybody on the team believes in me and in the things that we're doing,” Middleton said. “[Coach Holloway] is not going to let me be somebody that I'm not, and he's going to continue to challenge me every day to be the best person and basketball player that I can be.”
Going into the second half, the Pirates looked to continue their impressive defensive effort as the game became more intense with both teams playing more aggressively than before.
“I said at halftime when they had 14 points that we should try our best to keep them under thirty to give ourselves a better chance of winning this game,” senior guard Chaunce Jenkins said. “So, we came out very defensive-minded [in the second half].”
Emerging as the primary option for the Pirates on offense, this was a strong game for Jenkins, who led all scorers with 16 points. This comes shortly after he surpassed the 1,000-point mark last game against Hofstra, an impressive feat considering that he reached this milestone primarily in his last two seasons with the Monarchs with 418 points in the 2022–2023 season and 493 in the following season.
After a steal by fellow guard Isiah Coleman, Jenkins threw down a huge one-handed dunk in transition to go up by a 20-point lead, 40-20, with under 12 minutes left in the second half.
When asked about the dunk, and what the moment meant to him after the game, Jenkins said: “It was a great moment; I’ve had a long college career, and it’s been a long journey that has led me here [to Seton Hall]. So, just trying to make the most of every moment in my last year is important, especially with such a great group of guys and coaches that push me each and every day [here at Seton Hall].”
The Pirates did exactly as Jenkins said, as they once again held the Seahawks to only 14 points in the second half, making it the first time since 1947 that the Pirates have held an opponent under 30 points with the final score being 54-28 in favor of Seton Hall. This was also the lowest point total that any team coached by Holloway has ever given up in both St. Peters and Seton Hall.
“Our last three games we struggled offensively, and we’re going to continue to work on that, but I thought we've been defending well,” Holloway said. “We just have to continue to keep getting better.”
Always having quotable inspiration for his team, Holloway told his players before the game to stay the course in Seton Hall “Pirate” fashion.
“I’ve been telling these guys to just play basketball,” Holloway said. “Keep believing in the people that are in our program and in our locker room. I want them to know that it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Directly addressing the media, Holloway ensured Pirate nation to be patient with the team: “I've been honest with you guys from day one with this team. We’ve got a long way to go, and our best basketball is still ahead of us. So, we’re going to keep fighting.”
The Pirates are 4-3 on the season and will return to the Prudential Center to play Monmouth on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 12 p.m.
Zach Mawby is the Assistant Sports Editor for The Setonian’s Sports section. Zach can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
