Seton Hall University
7-21,2-15Big East
Villanova
17-12,10-8Big East
Addae-Wusu's Strong Performance Not Enough Against Villanova
2/27/2025 1:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Newark, N.J. — The Seton Hall men's basketball team held a double-digit lead at halftime and trailed by just three points with 16 seconds left but Villanova was able to escape Newark with a victory as the Wildcats bested the Pirates, 59-54, at Prudential Center Wednesday evening.
The Pirates were led by Dylan Addae-Wusu, who scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists. Prince Aligbe finished one rebound short of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Both teams finished even on the glass (33-33) and shot similar percentages from the floor but Villanova thrived at the free throw line shooting 18-of-22 to Seton Hall's 8-of-17.
How It Happened
In a back and forth opening six minutes, Villanova jumped out to a 10-7 lead before the Pirates used a 12-2 run to take a six point lead, 19-13, with 11:05 left in the first half. The Wildcats trimmed their deficit to one, 19-18, but an Addae-Wusu three with just over six minutes to play kicked off a 12-0 run that ballooned the Pirates' lead to 13, 31-18.
In that 12-0 run, the Seton Hall defense held Villanova scoreless for nine-plus minutes. A three-point basket from the corner by Aligbe started the second half as the Pirates grew their lead to 16, their largest of the game. The Wildcats countered with an impressive run of their own, going on a 24-4 run that spanned 11 minutes while holding The Hall to just two field goals.
After a made layup by Isaiah Coleman with 6:03 to play made it 45-43 in favor of Villanova, the Wildcats' Eric Dixon rattled off five straight points on his own that pushed his team's lead to seven, 50-43.Â
The Pirates' offensive woes continued in the final minutes despite getting stops on the defensive end. Aligbe converted two free throws with 1:54 to go that made it a five-point game, 50-45, when Garwey Dual came up with a steal on the next Villanova possession before finishing with a layup that cut the Pirates deficit to three. Dual then stole the Villanova inbounds pass and laid it in to make it a one-point game, 50-49. After a Villanova timeout, the Pirates then fouled Dixon who made one of two free throws. Down by two, 51-49, The Hall couldn't come up with the game-tying or go-ahead basket and were forced to foul the rest of the way.
News & Notes
- The Pirates' 12-point halftime advantage tied their largest halftime lead this season in any game.
- Seton Hall's 16-point lead was its largest lead squandered in a loss this season.
- The last eight games at Prudential Center between Seton Hall and Villanova have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
- Coleman now has 18 double-figure scoring games this season.
- Addae-Wusu posted his 52nd career double-figure scoring performance and his 27th career game with five or more assists.
- Aligbe has registered 10 double-figure scoring games this season.
Up Next
The Pirates will travel across the Hudson River to take on No. 7 St. John's at 2:15 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. The game will be broadcast on CBS.
