St. John’s winning streak ends painfully with a 32-point defeat to UConn

Connecticut Delivers Dominant Win Over St. John’s

HARTFORD — Connecticut approached the game with a deeper sense of urgency.

They needed a victory to keep their aspirations for a Big East regular season title intact, especially after losing to their rivals earlier this season. Losing again was simply not an option.

As for St. John’s?

Rick Pitino’s team found themselves in a tough spot, trailing by 21 points at one stage. This proved to be a crucial misstep, as they struggled to keep up with Connecticut’s relentless energy, strength, and focus during a lopsided 72-40 defeat at People’s Bank Arena.

For St. John’s, the defeat ended a commendable 13-game winning streak, their longest since the 1984-85 Final Four season. Although both teams are now tied at the top of the conference standings, St. John’s still controls its own fate. A victory would not only secure them a share of the league title but also position them as the top seed in next month’s Big East tournament.

The game was, frankly, quite disappointing for St. John’s, marking their worst loss since Pitino took over three years ago. They faced scoring droughts of 7:23 and 10:46, unable to find their rhythm. On both ends, they were overwhelmed by Connecticut. They were especially outmatched in the paint, where Connecticut outscored them 42-12.

Joeson Sanon topped the scoring for St. John’s with just 10 points but failed to contribute after halftime. Zuby Ejiofor, who had shone in their first encounter, only managed six points with a shooting percentage of 40%. St. John’s struggled throughout, converting a mere 20 percent of their field-goal attempts and hitting just five of 20 from beyond the arc while missing 24 consecutive shots in a humbling loss.

Taris Reed Jr. emerged as the standout player, racking up 20 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks, while Alex Karavan chipped in 14 points.

Aside from Sanon’s 10 points, the first half offered little hope for St. John’s. They faced deficits as large as 21 points, ending the half 15 points behind, and seemed out of sync for much of those 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, UW made a significant impact with an 18-0 run, which was partly fueled by St. John’s struggles, including a dry spell that extended beyond 7:23.

The Johnnies started poorly, missing 16 of their first 20 attempts, and while Ejiofor registered just one free throw, Reed’s dominance proved too much for St. John’s to handle.

In terms of team performance, St. John’s was out-rebounded by four, generated only two turnovers, and managed just one second-chance point. Connecticut dominated in transition, leading 10-0.