Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
For the first time ever, the St. John’s Red Storm are back-to-back Big East champions after defeating UConn in a wire-to-wire 72-52 win in the conference title game on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
When these teams last met, the Huskies handed the Johnnies a humbling 32-point loss, snapping the team’s 13-game winning streak and leaving them eager for redemption. However, the last time the teams faced off at Madison Square Garden last month, the Johnnies came away with an 81–72 victory.
St. John’s punched its ticket to the championship game with a win over Seton Hall, while the Huskies advanced after taking down a determined Georgetown squad, 67–51.
For the third straight game, the Johnnies opened on a double-digit scoring run. The surge continued until a foul by Dillon Mitchell (9 points) sent UConn’s Solo Ball to the line for an and-one, cutting the deficit to 10-3 four minutes into the contest. St. John’s smothering defense forced the Huskies to get creative offensively, even denying freshman Braylon Mullins any clean looks from beyond the arc.
The Red Storm stayed red-hot. Oziyah Sellers poured in eight points in the opening five minutes, while a pair of threes from Zuby Ejiofor (18 pts.) and emphatic dunks from Mitchell and Hopkins brought the Madison Square Garden crowd to its feet, drowning out any Huskies chants.
Moments later, UConn head coach Dan Hurley was assessed a technical foul after an animated exchange with the officials. Ian Jackson stepped to the line but missed the ensuing free throw.
Sanon picked up two fouls early in the contest, mirroring his performance in yesterday’s game. From there, the Red Storm kept their momentum, never allowing the gap to shrink below 12, despite short UConn resurgences.
The team’s chemistry shone through, with multiple tag-team dunks set up for captains Zuby Ejiofor and Mitchell. UConn turnovers fueled the Johnnies for 15 extra first-half points, sending them into halftime up 40–27.
St. John’s came out quiet in the second half as UConn’s defense stymied Ejiofor, cutting the lead to nine before Hopkins (18 points) answered with a layup. The back-and-forth continued until consecutive buckets — including an Ejiofor three — ignited the Big East Player of the Year.
UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. went down after a lethal Ejiofor dunk, sending him to the locker room. Before his exit, the junior had six points, and he returned shortly after.
The last five minutes saw the Johnnies shine, extending their lead to 20 and going on a 10-0 run once Ejiofor re-entered the court. Sellers was assessed a technical after pushing a UConn player with three minutes left, and the Johnnies continued to maintain that significant lead.
As the clock inches closer to Selection Sunday, both teams are eager to see where they end up in the NCAA Tournament. With the win, the Johnnies are expected to be a No. 4 seed, and the Huskies’ position remains in question.
