Until the end, it was an unforgettable night for Zuby Ejiofor.
In the first half, the valuable junior big man recorded just eight minutes due to foul trouble.
He struggled with Butler's 7 footer andre screen in the second half.
However, in the game on the line, Ejiofor grew bigger.
He scored six big points in the final 5:48, fought 7th place St. John's hard, beating the 76-70 Butler at Hinkle Field House, winning at least the Big East regular season title.
“The coaching staff and my teammates continued to trust me throughout the game,” said Egiofort, who finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes. “Yeah, I was playing a bad game, but no matter how the game progresses, I tend to level up. This was a bit of frustration in the first half for me. As a leader, [I have to] Do whatever it takes to get a win – whether it's defense or scoring, that's exactly what I've done in the last five minutes. ”
Even on his off night, Egiofort showed how valuable he was.
When he was on the floor, St. Joe wasn't ahead of Butler by 16 points.
When he wasn't, Butler was plus 10 for 17 minutes.
Playing with two painful gro diameter muscles, Cadalie Richmond notched 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steels in 33 minutes, making it unseen in limited view.
According to coach Rick Pipino, senior forward Aaron Scott overstretched his left knee in the second half.
He collapsed awkwardly on a drive to the basket. However, Scott went back to the game.
Fresh Man Guard Jade Glover I wasn't with the team.
He recently had surgery to repair a torn tendon on his right wrist.
He's out for the rest of the season.
