Seton Hall men’s basketball defeated the University of New Haven Chargers, 68-45, in their first-ever meeting at the Prudential Center on Tuesday.
It was another strong defensive showing from the Pirates, who held the Chargers—currently in their first season as a Division I program—to just 17 points and 7-for-24 (29.2%) shooting in the second half. It was also their fifth consecutive game with nine or more steals.
On offense, SHU was efficient: they shot 48.1% (25-for-54) from the field (58.6% in the first half) and 80% (8-for-10) from the free-throw line.
The Pirates were led by junior guard Tajuan “TJ” Simpkins, who scored 18 points while shooting 6-for-8 (75%) from the field and 4-for-5 (80%) from 3-point range. It was not only a season-high for him, but also the second straight game he has led SHU in scoring—all while coming off the bench.
“I’m just here to do whatever the coaches need me to do,” Simpkins said after the game. “Obviously, that’s just my role being on the bench. So I’m just sticking with that, just continue to do what we do.”
Leading the team in both points per game (13.2) and 3-point field goal percentage (55%), Simpkins credits his strong play to his work ethic as well as his coaches, who push him and his teammates every day.
“Just staying in the gym,” Simpkins said about what has led to his efficient shooting from beyond the arc. “Our coaches are on us about us making 2,000 or 3,000 shots a week, so the work is just paying off.”
Similarly, Simpkins also mentioned that games are made easier by the intensity of the team’s practices.
“We put in a lot of work—practice is way harder than the game,” he said. “[So] when we come in the games, it's just easier.”
“We practice, in there bleeding every day,” he added. “So a lot of guys don’t have that intensity and pressure that we put on people.”
This was echoed by senior center Stephon Payne, who recorded his first double-double of the season and was responsible for 13 of the team’s 32 total points in the paint.
“Like [Simpkins] said, practices are way tougher,” Payne said. “So I feel like with a new group it’s really important getting us to gel together in a tough situation, so that when we come in the game it's just easy.”
Head coach Shaheen Holloway had high praise for both Payne and Simpkins, while noting that both still have room to improve.
“We knew that they were gonna trap us, so I told my guys to be aware of the trap,” Holloway said. “I thought we got in the lanes early and got him some easy baskets. Plus [Payne] had a couple of putbacks off his rebounds, so he’s playing well—but I think he could play better, and I think we could play better. I ain’t like the second half for us.”
Regarding Simpkins, he added, “He’s shooting the ball extremely well. But I need him to play-make more and get to the free throw line, because he’s one of our better free throw shooters.”
As for Simpkins coming off the bench despite being the team’s leading scorer, head coach Shaheen Holloway said that the media “make[s] too much of it.”
“He’s playing starting minutes, he’s playing almost 25 minutes a game,” Holloway said. “So I don’t look at it [like that], I look at people who finish the game, not who start the game.”
Simpkins played 28 minutes in this game, the second most on the team behind starting point guard Adam “Budd” Clark.
“And for us, I need some ‘juice’ off the bench,” Holloway added. “Every team, I always had guys off the bench who can give us juice, and [Simpkins] could give us a lot of juice right now, so I hope he continues [to play well].”
The team’s bench unit played an important role in this game, scoring 30 of SHU’s 68 points—the second-most so far this year, behind the bench’s 37 point effort in the team’s season-opening win over St. Peter’s University.
With the bench in mind, Holloway said that he doesn’t see much of a difference between them and the starting lineup.
“Obviously, you got to pick five starters out there, right?” Holloway said. “I don’t look at it like that—I look at a group that will get us off to a good start on the defensive end.”
“But our bench is good,” he added. “Early on in our preseason games, our bench was actually way better than the starters. And I think that’s why a guy like [Simpkins] is playing well, and why all of the guys are playing good.”
With the win, the Pirates improved to 5-0, making it their best start to the season since the 2014-2025 season.
But this mattered little to Holloway, whose focus is instead on the team getting better.
“I don’t think that means anything, to tell you the truth,” he said regarding the team’s best start since 2014. “I just want to get better.”
Holloway is also focused on the team’s upcoming tournament in Hawaii, which starts on Nov. 24.
“I think it’s a good opportunity,” he said about the Maui Invitational. “I think we got a chance to see things that we got to work on to get better with [and] to play against better competition.”
“Also playing three days in a row—that doesn’t happen,” he added. “So that’s going to be an adjustment as well.”
Following today’s performance, Holloway said that Simpkins and the bench unit will be “extremely important” during next week’s invitational.
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
