St. John’s had plenty of opportunities to take control of the game.
They began on a strong note, leading 15-3 early in the first half. At one point, they even held a 10-point advantage. But, as often happens in sports, when it really counted, Providence stepped up and ultimately claimed a 77-71 victory at Madison Square Garden — a tough loss for the Johnnies, marking their worst defeat of the season.
Providence wrapped up the game with an impressive 14-3 run, overshadowing Zuby Ejiofor’s remarkable performance, which included 33 points and 15 rebounds. The rest of the Red Storm team struggled significantly, converting only 12 of 55 field goal attempts.
St. John’s initially had a chance to widen their lead when Joeson Sanon missed a layup. Following that miss, Providence rallied, scoring 11 out of the next 13 points, coming dangerously close with a transition dunk from Oswin Elunmuunse, cutting the deficit to just one point with 4:42 left on the clock.
Providence seized the lead decisively when Stephen Virks hit a 3-pointer with 1:50 remaining. Sanon, trying to change the momentum, took the next two shots but missed both, marking Providence’s second victory against a major opponent in seven attempts.
The backcourt trio of Ojia Sellers, Ian Jackson, and Sanon combined for a disappointing 5-of-30 shooting performance. Bryce Hopkins, facing his former team, managed only 3 of 13 field goals, while the team missed 13 free throws and was outmatched in the paint by 18 points.
St. John’s got off to a fresh start, nailing the first 13 points. The thrilling 3-point shooting was apparent early on, as Ejiofor sank his first three attempts.
Things took a twist in the game’s flow. Providence fought back in overtime with a 22-9 run, briefly enjoying a lead. St. John’s relied heavily on 3-point shots, hitting 17 of their first 30 attempts from long range, although that was not enough to secure a win.
In the last few minutes of the first half, St. John’s regained their rhythm, fueled by a 12-3 offensive burst, with Ejiofor scoring six of those points. He stood out massively, tallying 18 points and 11 rebounds in the first half alone.
Yet, the other players on the Red Storm struggled, shooting just 7 of 31. St. John’s ended the first half with a shooting percentage of 32.5, and Sanon and Jackson’s performances didn’t help, as they both went just 1-of-11. Despite these setbacks, the Johnnies had a ten-rebound advantage and converted 15 offensive rebounds, with nine of those coming from Ejiofor, turning them into 13 second-chance points.
As the second half began, Providence quickly closed the gap to two points. St. John’s managed to stretch their lead back to 10 following a 3-pointer by Lefteris Litopoulos, but they couldn’t maintain that momentum and found themselves trailing by five points again with 12 minutes left in the game.
