Pirates Fall on Go-Ahead Three to Creighton, 69-68

Saturday, February 7

Omaha, NE

6:00 p.m.

Seton Hall University

16-8,6-7Big East

Creighton

13-11,7-6Big East

Seton Hall

Creighton

Photo by: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

2/7/2026 8:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

OMAHA, NEB. — Despite a 20-point effort from Budd Clark, the Seton Hall men's basketball team fell the Creighton Blue Jays on a go-ahead three in the final seconds, 69-68, inside CHI Health Center Omaha on a blistery Saturday evening.

The Pirates (16-8, 6-7 BE) shot a season-best 55.6% (5-of-9) from three, but made no three-pointers in the second half. The Blue Jays (13-11, 7-6 BE) committed a stifling 18 turnovers, but ended the game on a 17-to-5 run.

How It Happened
In a decisive fashion, Budd Clark opened the game with a layup before the two sides engaged in a back-and-forth battle. While the Blue Jays rained down threes from deep, Clark and AJ Staton-McCray laced the nets in response, each collecting five points, as the two sides fought to a 15-15 scoreline through 15 minutes of play.

Budd from deep 🎯 pic.twitter.com/la7oZckPw1
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) February 7, 2026

Eventually, utilizing scoring from all three levels, Crieghton went on a 7-to-0 run to put the Pirates down 22-15 after another four minutes of play. Now facing their largest deficit of the night to that point, the onus once again shifted to the Pirates' offense to keep pace. While Clark continued to put his imprint on the game, Stephon Payne began to find his footing offensively amid a sea of Blue Jay bigs. Payne added four points and five rebounds as control of the game bounced between the two sides. The Pirates pulled a three-point lead, 28-25, with 7:29 left in the half, but the game just as quickly returned to a tie game within a minute.

As the final minutes of the opening half ticked by, Clark gave the Pirates the lead once again, 33-32, off his third three of the game, tying his career high. Both sides struggled to piece together a strong possession as the clock approached zero, but a stray Seton Hall free throw helped secure the Pirates a 34-32 lead entering the break.

The steal. The finish. pic.twitter.com/MoG7WJ6CqN
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) February 7, 2026

While Creighton drew the first points out of halftime, the Pirates would quickly tie things up before the game went back on the see-saw with just under 17 minutes remaining. While the Blue Jays quickly jumped ahead by three again, 41-83, the Pirates would quickly go on to produce their best stretch of the game. Led by a decisive Clark and Elijah Fisher, Seton Hall marshalled a decisive 10-to-0 run in two minutes to find itself up 48-41 and force a Creighton timeout with 13:54 left on the clock.

While the Pirates maintained the offensive advantage, Crieghton pulled The Hall's lead down to 2, 48-46, following a swift 7-to-0 run by the Blue Jays, forcing Clark and the Pirates to find a response. That response came in the form of Najai Hines. Defensively, the Pirates found a stifling structure to quell the Blue Jays' flights of fancy from three and quash any paint points. Offensively, led by Hines' five points, two rebounds and a block, Seton Hall unleashed a 10-to-2 run to pull in front by 10 points, 57-47, with seven minutes left in the game.

BIG JAH 😤😤 pic.twitter.com/12Ei4ASiFi
— Seton Hall Men's Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) February 8, 2026

Yet, once again, the Blue Jays would not go away. The home side went on their own 6-to-0 run to cut the lead back down to 4, 57-53, forcing a timeout out of Head Coach Shaheen Holloway. After slowing things down with the timeout, The Hall came out of the pause in play with fresh purpose. Clark continued to make an oppressive impact on both ends, while Fisher continued piling on the pressure in the paint, allowing the Pirates to expand their lead back to 10, 63-53, as a mere 3:30 remained on the clock.

The Pirates held a nine-point lead with 1:35 remaining in the game. Yet, the Blue Jays were flying around the court in all phases of the game as the seconds ticked by. The Hall's lead was cut to four with 32 seconds remaining as Crieghton called a timeout. An inbounds turnover by the Pirates led to another Blue Jay's three, making it a one-point game with 22 seconds remaining. The Pirates got the ball inbounds on the next possession and drew a foul, cutting the lead to 3. However, the Pirates split the shots at the line and the Blue Jays grabbed the rebound. After pushing the ball up the floor, Creighton's Nik Graves dropped in a three-pointer with three seconds remaining to hand the Pirates a 69-68 loss.
News & Notes

This was the 24^th matchup all-time between the two programs.
- With the loss, The Hall moves to 17-15 all-time against the Blue Jays.
Clark logged 20 points with a career high-tying three made three-pointers.
- This performance marks Clark's fourth consecutive 18+ points.
Fisher and Staton-McCray each logged double-digit points.
Payne logged his sixth double-digit rebound game of the season.

Up Next
The Pirates return to action on Wednesday, February 11, when they host the Providence Friars at the Prudential Center. The game will be broadcast on Peacock with opening tip slated for 7:30 p.m.`