In a thrilling matchup at Madison Square Garden, No. 22 St. John”s delivered a major statement by defeating third-ranked UConn 81-72, ending the Huskies” impressive 18-game win streak.
Zuby Ejiofor led the Red Storm with a stellar performance, scoring 21 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out seven assists. “We made a lot of big plays tonight, a lot of big plays, and I”m proud of our guys for just not panicking one bit at any point in the game,” said Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.
This game marked the first clash of the season between the top two teams in the Big East. Dillon Mitchell contributed 15 points, while Bryce Hopkins added 14 for St. John”s, who improved to 18-5 overall and 11-1 in conference play, winning their ninth consecutive game and 14 of their last 16. They are now just a half-game behind UConn, who holds a record of 22-2 and 12-1 in the conference.
The victory also allowed Pitino to tie with Roy Williams for third place in Division I history with 903 career wins. After the game, an ecstatic Ejiofor celebrated with the St. John”s student section, emphasizing the unique atmosphere of the night. “Just an all-around great atmosphere to play basketball. Friday night, MSG, great opponent, and, like Coach said, we had more of a home crowd than we thought, and the student crowd was engaged,” he remarked.
For UConn, Silas Demary Jr. scored 18 points, but his nine turnovers were a significant factor in the outcome, according to coach Dan Hurley. “It was a roller-coaster ride. I mean, it really was. He had some incredible plays. We were too loose with the ball,” Hurley stated.
Alex Karaban added 17 points for the Huskies in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,812, which was largely supportive of St. John”s. Pitino praised the atmosphere, saying, “I thought The Garden was as good as I”ve seen it. Tremendous crowd.” Hurley acknowledged the crowd”s impact, noting, “I saw a lot of red. That felt like a real road game.”
St. John”s excelled at the free-throw line, hitting 22 of 31 attempts, while UConn struggled, making only 5 of 12. Hurley described St. John”s frontcourt as “grown men” and emphasized their toughness for Big East play. UConn”s only other loss this season was to Arizona back in November.
Despite shooting 55% from the field and making 9 of 19 three-point attempts, UConn”s defense faltered in the second half. St. John”s capitalized on this, going on a 10-0 run to take a 55-45 lead. Although UConn fought back to narrow the margin to 64-63, they could not reclaim the lead as Ejiofor and a step-back three from Dylan Darling sealed the game.
Ejiofor reflected on the significance of the victory, stating, “It was a really passionate game. It was a meaningful game. We knew exactly what we”re playing for. Our preparation leading up to this game was as great as it”s been.” This matchup was the first time both teams faced off at The Garden while ranked in the AP Top 25 since St. John”s won the Big East Tournament championship game in 2000. The two teams will meet again on February 25 in Hartford, Connecticut.
“I”m certainly going to celebrate tonight,” Pitino concluded. “We”ve just got to keep it going and try and get better. What Bryce, Dillon, and Zuby are doing in the frontcourt, it”s pretty special.”
