February 28, 2026; Storage, Connecticut, USA; Seton Hall Pirates head coach Shaheen Holloway watched from the sidelines as they took on the UConn Huskies at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images Adam Clark overcame a late injury scare to finish with 16 points and four assists as Seton Hall beat Xavier 77-68 in the final 10 minutes on Tuesday night in Cincinnati.
The Pirates (20-10, 10-9 Big East) clinched a first-round appearance in the Big East Tournament with the win. Seton Hall plays No. 1 on Friday in Newark, New Jersey. 18 St. They have one last chance to impress the NCAA tournament committee when they face off against St. John’s.
Seton Hall has had eight 20-win seasons since 2013 and is currently 14-1 with more than 70 points this season.
Xavier (14-16, 6-13) has lost for the fourth time in five games. Filip Vorovikanin scored 15 points for Xavier and Malik Messina-Moore added 12.
The Musketeers played Tuesday with the Big East’s leading scorer, Tre Carroll, off the bench for all but the first four minutes. Carroll, who averaged 18.6 points per game, suffered a hip injury in a collision with Tajuan Simpkins and did not return.
Xavier took a 31-27 lead late in the first half with an 8-2 run highlighted by 3s by Borovicanin and Messina-Moore, but Seton Hall finished the first half strong when Stephon Payne scored inside with 45 seconds left in the half. The Pirates led 33-32 at the break.
Xavier still led 60-56 with 11 minutes, 54 seconds to play after Messina-Moore’s driving layup, but Seton Hall took command with a 9-0 run that included a 3 from AJ Staton-McCray (1 of 4 in the second half) and a fast-break basket from Mike Williams.
However, during the run, Clark fell awkwardly after driving to the basket, injured his left knee, and left the contest. He checked back in with 5:30 remaining and the Pirates won 67-62.
Messina-Moore’s baseline jumper put Xavier within 67-64 with 3:11 left, but the Pirates dominated the rest of the way, finishing with a 10-4 run.
Seton Hall outscored the Musketeers (37-30) and outscored the hosts (38-30) in the paint.
But there were more potential injury concerns for the Pirates. Star freshman Najai Hines rolled his left ankle while attempting a rebound less than a minute into the game and limped to the bench.
–Field level media
