Seton Hall defeated the Wagner College Seahawks 68-61 for their second game of the season in Walsh Gymnasium on Friday.
Their last meeting resulted in a much easier win for SHU, as the Pirates beat the Seahawks 54-28.The Pirates entered the game off a win against the St. Peter’s Peacocks, and Wagner looked to come back from a tough loss against the VCU Rams.
Elijah Fisher made substantial improvements from his first outing with the Pirates, finishing the game with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Fisher led scoring for SHU, followed by Tajuan Simpkins with 15 points and Adam “Budd” Clark with 11. Stephon Payne III was a standout, recording seven points, five blocks, and 10 boards.
Fisher took control at the end of the first half, creating a much-needed momentum shift against the Seahawks. Fisher breathed life into a struggling Pirate offense, going into halftime with a thunderous slam to put the Pirates within one of the Seahawks, 31-30. Fisher’s paint presence and Simpkins’ three-point accuracy were good parts of an otherwise stagnant first half for the Pirates.
“Intensity – it just wasn’t there for the whole thirty minutes,” Fisher said regarding the team’s slow start. “We’ll fix it, for sure.”
Payne was key to the Pirates’ second-half success, making his paint presence felt on both ends. His game highlight was electrifying Walsh with an alley-oop dunk assisted by Fisher.
“Steph played well defensively in the second-half,” said Coach Shaheen Holloway. “He had a lot of putbacks. He had two [blocks] down the stretch that were really good for us. For him, the more he gets a chance to play, the more he’ll be good for us.”
Holloway, however, was not satisfied with the team’s approach to the game.
“Immature. We’ve got a lot of growing up to do. I feel like we lost to tell you the truth,” Holloway said. “I’m not happy with the performance. But you know, we found a way to win, and that’s what good teams do.”
SHU struggled from beyond the arc and from the free-throw line, with 30% accuracy from downtown and a poor 50% from the charity strip. When Holloway was shown the Pirates’ free-throw percentage, he simply said, “Yikes.”
The Pirates have not been strangers to early-season jitters. The 2024-2025 season saw SHU go 5-6 in their first month before BIG EAST conference play.
“Hopefully, we cut that out of our system because you’re always gonna have a game like that early,” Holloway said. “We won’t play like this on Monday.”
With the win, the Pirates improved to a 2-0 record in the season. SHU will move on to host the Fairfield Stags on Nov. 10, in the second of three in-season matchups in Walsh Gymnasium.. The Pirates will then return to Prudential to host the Monmouth Hawks on Nov. 13.
Christian Hui is the assistant editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at christian.hui@student.shu.edu.
