On Sunday, Feb. 23, the Seton Hall Pirates faced the Musketeers from Xavier University. This matchup fell during “Seton Hall vs. Cancer Week,” where athletes from both the men’s and women’s basketball teams wore shirts that were auctioned off in support of the V Foundation during team shoot-arounds. Seton Hall also held a very moving Stand Up To Cancer moment, where students held up pink signs with the names of their family, friends, or loved ones whom they were standing up to cancer for. It was a touching moment that meant a lot to everyone in the building, as most people have had someone in their life affected by cancer.
Good causes aside, it was not a very good day for the Seton Hall Pirates, who ultimately fell to the Xavier Musketeers 73-66. It was a game that Xavier needed to win to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive. Nearly 10 minutes into the first half, the Musketeers were already up by double digits, and by the start of the second half, they led the Pirates by 21 points. It looked like Xavier was going to get out of Newark with an easy win, but with a little over four minutes left in the game, Seton Hall went on a 13-1 run, cutting into Xavier’s lead dramatically.
Thanks to the fantastic play of Ryan Conwell, the Musketeers were able to pull out the win on Sunday afternoon. Conwell was Xavier’s top scorer with 22 points, while Seton Hall’s Isaiah Coleman led the Pirates’ offense with 24 points. This marks the fourth win in a row for Xavier, who will take on the second-ranked team in the Big East, the Creighton Blue Jays, on Saturday, March 1, while Seton Hall will host the Villanova Wildcats on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
