Big East Showdown: St. John’s Takes Down Connecticut

Out of nowhere, the Big East conference is wide open.

St. John’s made a bold statement on Friday night, demonstrating that the formidable Huskies aren’t untouchable, positioning themselves firmly in the conversation alongside Connecticut.

The Red Storm, once seen as underachievers, transformed into title contenders with nine consecutive wins over the last five weeks. They managed to outscore UW 81-72 in a vibrant and packed Garden.

Both teams now share the top spot in the conference. A pivotal game looms on February 25th in Hartford, Connecticut.

Solid performances from Dylan Darling, Zoobie Ejiofor, and Dillon Mitchell helped propel St. John’s to a standout victory over No. 3, providing a key boost to their NCAA Tournament aspirations.

In the final 4 minutes and 46 seconds, the No. 22 Red Storm outscored Connecticut 15-7, marking the first loss of the season for Dan Hurley’s squad.

Ejiofor dominated the game, tallying an impressive 21 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. Mitchell contributed 15 points and six rebounds, while Bryce Hopkins added 14 points and six boards. Meanwhile, Dahlin chipped in with nine points and a couple of assists after halftime.

For Connecticut, Alex Karaban was the leading scorer with 17 points.

Connecticut managed to close an 11-point deficit, bringing the game to just one point with a solid 16-5 run.

At the under-4 media timeout, St. John’s secured a four-point edge when Ejiofor grabbed an offensive rebound from Hopkins’ missed free throw, leading to Mitchell’s layup.

With just 2:27 left, St. John’s held a seven-point advantage after Dahlin hit a step-back three and later assisted Ejiofor for a jump hook.

The first half was tightly contested, with neither team able to pull ahead by more than six points. St. John’s established a brief 13-1 run, followed by UConn’s 9-2 reply. The Huskies had a clear edge from beyond the arc, sinking 5 of 9 attempts.

Nevertheless, St. John’s capitalized on eight forced turnovers, converting them into 10 points, and had a plus-4 advantage in the paint.

Joeson Sanon stood out as the best guard for the Johnnies, adding six points. Ejiofor continued to shine, contributing two three-pointers along with seven points, four assists, and three rebounds.

Braylon Mullins and Taris Reed Jr. each added eight points for the visiting team.

Despite Reed facing foul trouble late in the first half, UW managed a solid close. His backup, Eric Leibe, made four quick points, and Ojia Sellers narrowly missed a three-pointer at the buzzer, leaving the teams tied at 39 points at halftime.

St. John’s emerged strong after the break, outpacing Connecticut 16-6 to grab a 10-point lead with under 13 minutes left.

Hurley tried to halt their momentum, calling two timeouts. Hopkins’ three-pointer helped extend their lead into double digits, energizing the crowd.

As the shot clock wound down, the Huskies responded with quick baskets, but Ejiofor’s timely three-pointer pushed the lead back to nine.