CINCINNATI — Rick Pitino secured his 900th win in a game filled with tension, much like the 899 that preceded it.
St. John’s trailed by 16 points early in the second half, and star player Zubie Ejiofor fouled out late in the game. However, Dylan Darling stepped up to ensure a milestone victory for Pitino in his first Big East game against his son, Richard.
During the match at Cintas Center, Darling scored five crucial points in the final 1:20, punctuating his performance with a game-winning 3-pointer with just over 53 seconds remaining. This victory marked St. John’s sixth consecutive win over Xavier, ending with a score of 88-83.
After the game, the St. John’s players received shirts celebrating Pitino’s 900th on-court victory.
With just over a minute left, Ejiofor fouled out on what some might consider a questionable call during a foul by Filip Borovikanin, giving Xavier a slim one-point lead. Nevertheless, Dahlin responded with a 3-pointer, and a follow-up from Ruben Prey added to the momentum.
Bryce Hopkins had a standout second half, tallying 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Dillon Mitchell contributed significantly as well, with 17 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Ejiofor recorded 13 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.
Tre Carroll led the charge for Xavier, scoring 31 points.
The game’s concluding moments were quite chaotic. St. John’s found themselves down by 16 at one point but turned it around to establish a five-point lead with under three minutes remaining.
In a dramatic turn, with 1:38 left, Carroll hit a deep step-back 3-pointer, and Malik Messina-Moore added a basket to elevate Xavier’s score to 79.
The game started off well for St. John’s, who made eight of their first ten shots, quickly building a 20-11 lead. But things took a turn for the worse for them afterward.
Pitino dug deep into his bench, allowing Xavier to execute a 17-5 run that put them ahead. The Musketeers’ shots continued to find their mark against the Red Storm’s bench players.
Messina-Moore’s consecutive 3-pointers managed to bring St. John’s within 14 points, igniting the crowd. However, the Johnnies still faced a 12-point deficit at halftime.
The game’s final moments were memorable, especially when Hopkins missed an important layup.
Jackson had a strong first half for St. John’s, contributing 16 of their 37 points. Hopkins struggled, hitting only two of ten attempts, while Ejiofor remained largely ineffective. Joeson Sanon experienced a tough outing as well, posting a minus-15 in just eight minutes while missing four of five shots.
As the second half started, things didn’t improve for St. John’s. Xavier quickly extended their lead with two layups, hitting a 16-point advantage once again.
St. John’s focused on attacking the paint and mounted a charge. Hopkins responded with a basket from a Mitchell assist, and their scoring burst cut the deficit down to one point after a steal led to a dunk. Unfortunately for them, Carroll quickly countered with 11 consecutive points for Xavier.
However, with under ten minutes left, St. John’s paused to regroup and soon scored eight straight points, regaining their lead for the first time since the beginning of the first half, thanks to a 3-point play by Hopkins.
