Clark Drops 18 as Pirates Fall at Villanova, 72-60

Wednesday, February 4

Villanova, PA

6:30 p.m.

Seton Hall University

16-7,6-6Big East

Villanova

17-5,8-3Big East

Seton Hall

Villanova

2/4/2026 9:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

VILLANOVA, PA. — Despite an 18-point performance from Budd Clark, the Seton Hall men's basketball team fell to the Villanova Wildcats, 72-60, inside Finneran Pavilion.

The Pirates (15-6, 6-6 BE) shot 11.8% (2-of-17) from three and commuted 10 turnovers. The Wildcats (16-5, 8-3 BE) made nine three-pointers and had four players in double-digits.

How It Happened
Off the opening tip, the Pirates went basket-for-basket in the opening minutes off the back of AJ Staton-McCray finding his way in the paint. However, a three-point flurry by Villanova and struggles on the offensive end put the Pirates in a nine-point hole, 15-6, with just over 12 minutes left in the opening half.

Philly kid's got moves 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/Mw0LWxHc9I
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) February 5, 2026

The momentum began to shift as the clock passed the halfway poin, and the Pirates found a rhythm. Najai Hines made his presence known off the bench with five first-half points, but The Hall's guard play was the true star. Staton-McCray and decisive Budd Clark sliced their way through the paint, each earning basket after basket in each possession. Together, they powered the Hall on a 13-to-2 run that cut the deficit to two, 19-17, with just under seven minutes on the clock. However, the three-pointers kept landing for Villanova and The Hall entered the halftime break down 40-25.

After the Wildcats expanded the deficit up to 20 in less than four minutes, the Pirates once again pulled themselves back into the game. Off the back of five points from Tajuan Simpkins, Seton Hall went on a 9-to-0 run to cut the game to an 11-point game, 47-36, with 14:37 left in the game. Despite that run, The Hall could not find enough momentum to find its way to a single-digit deficit. While it grew to as many as 19 or as few as 10, the Pirates fell to Villanova 72-60 as the final buzzer sounded.

News & Notes

This was the 133^rd matchup all-time between the two programs.
- With the loss, The Hall moves to 44-89 all-time against the Wildcats.
The Pirates shot a season-high 90.9% from the free-throw line.
Clark tallied a season-high 18 points.
Staton-McCray logged a team-high 8 rebounds.

Up Next
The Pirates return to action on Saturday, February 7, when they travel to Omaha, Nebraska, to take on the Creighton Blue Jays. The game will be broadcast on NBCSN and Peacock with opening tip slated for 6 p.m. EST.`