Roddie Anderson III had 15 points and knocked down three threes and Seton Hall opened the 2026-27 season with a vintage defensive performance in a 66-42 win over visiting Saint Peter’s Monday night in Newark, N.J.
The Pirates, with 13 new players after winning 21 games last season, held the Peacocks to 26 percent shooting from the floor and forced 16 turnovers.
The 42 points were the fewest points Seton Hall has given up in a game since allowing just 28 in a win over Wagner on Nov. 16, 2024.
The two New Jersey schools have opened the season against one another the last four years, with Seton Hall winning all four.
Anderson III, who last played at Xavier, had a successful Seton Hall debut, going 4-9 from the floor and 4-6 from the free-throw line. The Pirates’ other big addition in the transfer portal was forward Terry Copeland Jr., who was a force inside with 10 points.
Metro Conference pre-season first-team guard Bryce Eaton led the Peacocks with 16 points and had four threes. He was the only Saint Peter’s player in double figures.
It was Eaton who made two threes in the first four minutes to give Saint Peter’s an early 8-2 lead, but Copeland Jr. sparked a game-changing 17-2 run with a dunk inside. Simeon Wilcher gave Seton Hall its first lead with a free throw, and Elijah Fisher followed with a three-pointer to make it 12-8 for the Pirates, who never trailed again.
Seton Hall led 36-18 at halftime as Anderson sank a three and was fouled with 1:13 left and converted on a four-point play.
The second half followed the same script as the first. Seton Hall’s defense locked up the lane on Saint Peter’s and coach Shaheen Holloway emptied his bench as all 15 Pirates logged at least one minute.
The start of the second half was delayed by an additional 15 minutes when one of the shot clocks above one of the baskets malfunctioned and a new one had to be put on the floor and connected.