INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff Report from Official news Release) – The Hall’s AJ Staton-McCray scored a team-high 19 points as the Seton Hall Pirates captured a 63-56 win at Butler. The win was the Pirates’ fifth true victory of the season.
Seton Hall 63, Butler 56 – Box Score
-
AJ Staton-McCray scored 15 of his team-high 19 points in the second half, pacing the Pirates to a win at Butler.
-
The first half was a defensive battle, with four lead changes and one tie, and neither team leading by more than six points.
-
Butler led 24-23 at the break and scored the first six points of the second half.
-
The two teams traded runs – and the lead – for much of the period. There were five lead changes over the final 20:00.
-
A 3-pointer from Staton-McCray with 4:27 to go put Seton Hall ahead for good, igniting a 10-3 push to close the game and seal the victory.
-
Mike Williams III came off the bench for the first time this season for Seton Hall, tallying 10 points, three rebounds, and three steals.
-
Budd Clark finished with eight points and seven assists, while Tajuan Simpkins had eight points, seven boards, and five assists.
-
For Butler, Michael Ajayi registered his 16th double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds
Of Note:
-
Seton Hall held an opponent under 70 points for the 20th time this season – second-most among all NCAA Division I teams.
-
The Pirates – ranked 12th nationally in steals per game (9.5) – tied a season-high with 13 swipes.
-
Butler’s Michael Ajayi has 16 double-doubles – tying for the most by a BIG EAST player since Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman had 16 during the 2023-24 season.
—–
Looking Ahead: The BIG EAST returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 17 when Villanova heads to Xavier. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on FS1.