When a poor play came up, the film was stopped and rewound. Over and over, Seton Hall relived Saturday’s ugly loss at Rutgers. For two hours the next day, the Pirates dissected their 20-point defeat.

The following three days, they practiced like it was the preseason, going for 2 ¹/₂ hours the day before Thursday’s game.

“It was a gut check,” senior Quincy McKnight said. “We did a lot of soul-searching.”

It led to a victory few could see coming, a gritty 52-48 win at Prudential Center over No. 7 Maryland. After blowing leads against Michigan State and Oregon, the Pirates closed, despite the absence of All-America guard Myles Powell (concussion) and second-leading scorer Sandro Mamukelashvili (fractured wrist).

They shook off consecutive losses. They forgot about losing their Top-25 ranking. They ignored their role as a 7 ¹/₂-point underdog, responding to adversity by playing their best defensive game of the young season and registering a key résumé-building victory that saves what had been a disappointing non-conference performance.

“A lot of people were doubting us. A lot of people were saying our season was going the wrong way,” sophomore Jared Rhoden said. “I just feel like this win stamped us and showed us what we’re made of and what Seton Hall is all about.”

Added McKnight: “We dug down and we got a good program win.”

After the victory, the Pirates (7-4) celebrated with Powell, who Face-timed with the team from his room. Last Saturday, he suffered a serious concussion after taking multiple shots to the head and won’t be back until he passes concussion protocol. There was a lot of excited screaming, which coach Kevin Willard didn’t like, because Powell is supposed to be taking it easy. When McKnight notched a key three-point play late in the second half, he flexed at the crowd, knowing Powell was watching, celebrating like he would.

“I had to give him a scream, let him know we were going to win this game for him,” McKnight said.

Without its two leading scorers, Seton Hall needed production from some unlikely sources, players who hadn’t been reaching their potential.

Leading the charge was McKnight, who limited Maryland (10-2) star Anthony Cowan Jr. (3 of 14, 16 points) on the defensive end while also converting two clutch three-point plays down the stretch and finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Rhoden was a key on the glass, grabbing a career-high equaling 12 rebounds to go along with eight points. Starting for the first time this year, point guard Anthony Nelson scored 10 points, including the game’s biggest basket, a driving layup with 1:01 to go to give Seton Hall a seven-point lead. Big men Ike Obiagu and Romaro Gill combined to block a 12 shots, as Maryland shot just 26 percent from the field, committed 17 turnovers and was held to a season-low 59 points.

“This was a confidence-booster for everybody who was on the court today,” McKnight said.

The current dynamic may not change soon. Mamukelashvili is likely out until February. Willard doesn’t expect Powell to be back by the start of the league season. But Seton Hall showed it still has enough to beat a very good team without its stars.

“The way they bounced back from Saturday and the way they attacked this week — with a business-like attitude, with a humble attitude, to get ready for this game — will go farther than anything else will,” Willard said. “I think it’s very important for the fact they understand who they are right now, and right now, we’ve got to be a bunch of junkyard dogs and we’ve got to be gritty, and we’ve got to scratch and claw our way to victories.”