Wildcats End Pirates' Season in BIG EAST Tournament

Published: Thursday, March 13, 2025

by Bobby Steiner

NEW YORK – The Seton Hall men's basketball team (7-25, 2-18) ended its 2024-25 season with a 67-55 loss to Villanova (19-13, 11-9) on Wednesday night in the opening round of the BIG EAST Tournament.

One of the biggest storylines of the first half was that the nation’s leading scorer, Villanova’s Eric Dixon (23.5 points per game), went scoreless on three shots. He was plagued by early fouls and sat out a significant portion of the half.

However, the rest of the Wildcat lineup had no issue picking up the slack. The first 10 minutes saw uncharacteristic defense from the Pirates, who have made a name for themselves with their defensive prowess.

Villanova shot 52% from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. Seton Hall, meanwhile, did not make a three-pointer in the first half.

As the game neared halftime, the Pirates began to pick up steam thanks to sophomore Isaiah Coleman, who led the team with nine points at the break, including several tough layups through two or three Villanova defenders.

Emmanuel Okorafor once again showed he can provide a spark off the bench with a pair of emphatic two-handed slam dunks. That, combined with improved rebounding from Dylan Addae-Wusu and Yacine Toumi and a Wildcat scoring drought lasting more than seven minutes, gave the Pirates some life in the second half.

Garway Dual and Prince Aligbe opened the second half strong for Seton Hall, knocking down the team’s first 3-pointers during a 12-2 run. Aligbe went 2-for-2 from beyond the arc after entering the game just 2-for-20.

In response to the Pirates cutting the deficit to single digits, Dixon woke up.

During a 13-0 run for the Wildcats, Dixon would score 11 of those points following that Pirates’ run. He hit a pair of deep balls and converted an and-one to push the lead back to double digits. Dixon also shot 90% from the free-throw line, finishing with 19 points on the night. 

Third Team All-BIG EAST selection Wooga Poplar recorded a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Tyler Perkins added 11 efficient points off the bench, using his mid-range game to make an impact.

For the Pirates, Aligbe scored 10 points, and Coleman used his fearlessness through contact to finish with a game-high 25. Addae-Wusu led the team with seven rebounds and three assists.

In his final game for the Pirates, Addae-Wusu left it all on the floor, putting his body on the line one last time and embodying what it means to be a Seton Hall Pirate.

Following the loss, the Pirates look to the future to reload for next season.

Bobby Steiner is the Programming Director at WSOU 89.5 FM and can be reached at robert.steiner@student.shu.edu. 

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