Staton-McCray scores 22 to lead Seton Hall over No. 23 NC State 85-74

By Canadian Press on November 24, 2025.

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — A.J. Staton-McCray scored 22 points to lead Seton Hall to an 85-74 win over No. 23 North Carolina State in a Maui Invitational quarterfinal on Monday.

The Pirates (6-0) led the Wolfpack (4-1) for all but the first three minutes, going up by as many as 18 points.

Staton-McCray shot 7 of 11 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds.

Mike Williams scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half, Elijah Fisher and Adam Clark added 13 points apiece, Tajuan Simpkins 11 and Najai Hines 10 for Seton Hall, which shot 29 of 56 (51.8%) from the field and 20 of 24 (83.3%) on free throws.

Ven-Allen Lubin scored 16 points with nine rebounds to lead N.C. State and Matt Able added 15 points.

Darrion Williams, who was tabbed ACC preseason player of the year, was held to 12 points. Tre Holloman added 11 points for the Wolfpack.

Seton Hall took its largest lead at 69-51 when Staton-McCray knocked down both ends of a one-and-one bonus with 7:26 left to play.

The Pirates recorded nine blocks and scored 19 points off turnovers. They held a 22-7 advantage over the Wolfpack in fast break points.

Seton Hall led 35-33 at halftime, but opened the second half with a 16-2 run.

N.C. State entered the game averaging 100.8 points per game.

Seton Hall held its first five opponents to 54.6 points per game, the third-best mark nationally.

The Pirates are off to their best start to a season since 2014, when they won their first seven.

Up next

Seton Hall will play the winner of Southern Cal and Boise State in a semifinal, while N.C. State will meet the loser in a consolation game Tuesday.

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Kalani Takase, The Associated Press

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