St. John’s Overwhelms UConn to Capture Big East Title

Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

In New York City, the “Empire State of Mind” lived on as No. 1 St. John’s defeated No. 2 UConn 72-52 to repeat as Big East Tournament Champions at Madison Square Garden.

Big East Player and Defensive Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor led the way with a dominant two-way performance, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and a staggering seven blocks.

His seven blocks set a new Big East Tournament record, surpassing Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, who recorded five in last season’s quarterfinal against DePaul. On the sport’s biggest stage in the conference’s most iconic building, Ejiofor delivered a performance worthy of history.

A Blitz From the Opening Tip

Before UConn could settle into a rhythm, St. John’s had already seized control.

The Johnnies exploded to a 10-0 lead behind six early points from Oziyah Sellers, immediately turning the Garden into a pressure chamber. UConn missed its first four shots and committed three turnovers in the opening minutes, allowing the deficit to snowball.

Solo Ball briefly stabilized the Huskies with a powerful three-point play at the rim, but St. John's persisted in setting the terms. Ejiofor imposed himself early with a block on one end and interior scoring on the other.

Tarris Reed answered with a thunderous dunk to keep UConn within striking distance, yet the building never shifted. Every St. John’s basket triggered another eruption.

https://youtu.be/mvdceTJBqf4?si=B08BEMFyI9jFdb5Y

St. John's controls the Pace

The Johnnies stretched the floor with timely outside shooting, which opened driving lanes and forced defensive rotations. Their disruptive pressure defense created transition opportunities that quickly turned into points.

By the time St. John’s built a commanding 23-9 lead, Dan Hurley was animated on the sideline, stomping and yelling before calling a timeout.

Freshman Eric Tribe provided a spark with Reed on the bench, converting two free throws and finishing at the rim to trim the deficit to nine. Still, St. John’s responded immediately.

Bryce Hopkins drilled a left-corner three over Alex Karaban to push the lead back to 12. Ejiofor followed with consecutive baskets, including an alley-oop flush that extended the advantage to 16.

Jayden Ross later cut the deficit to 13 with a corner three, but UConn’s transition defense continued to falter. Turnovers led to easy baskets, including a perfectly executed break capped by a Dillon Mitchell thunderous jam off a Dylan Darling assist.

Turnovers Tell the Story

Even when UConn scored twice late in the half to trim the margin to 13, St. John’s applied full-court pressure. Karaban threw away the inbound pass, leading to an Ian Jackson scoop layup that restored a 15-point cushion.

At halftime, St. John’s led 40-27. The Johnnies shot 50 percent from the field compared to UConn’s 36 percent.

The bigger issue for the Huskies was ball security. UConn averaged 11 turnovers per game this season. They committed 11 in the first half alone. Those miscues turned into 15 St. John’s points and six fast-break points in the opening half.

St. John’s never trailed in the first half. It marked UConn’s largest halftime deficit of the season.

Championship Response

St. John’s opened the second half with five quick points after Hopkins knocked down a triple off a pass from Ejiofor out of a double team.

This time, UConn responded. The Huskies mounted a 7-0 run behind Braylon Mullins, who scored five quick points after a scoreless first half. Reed followed with back-to-back buckets in the paint, cutting the deficit to nine.

Momentum began to shift. St. John’s missed shots and grew careless with the ball. Reed’s drop-step finish brought UConn within seven, and the crowd erupted as the Huskies moved within striking distance.

Championship teams, however, answer pressure with poise.

Hopkins and Ejiofor scored on consecutive possessions, including a three from downtown, restoring a 54-42 lead. Moments later, Ejiofor rejected Demary Jr. at the rim, igniting a Mitchell windmill dunk in transition that stretched the lead to 13, which reignited the Garden.

Reed kept UConn alive with 11 consecutive points as St. John’s athleticism neutralized the Huskies’ perimeter players. Yet with the Big East title hanging in the balance, the Johnnies methodically pulled away.

Darling drilled a midrange pull-up with five minutes remaining, pushing the lead to 16 and forcing another timeout. Soon after, St. John’s extended the margin to 20—the largest of the night—as UConn’s confidence visibly wavered.

History Secured at the Garden

Ejiofor concluded the game with an exclamation three-pointer. He finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and a Big East Tournament record of seven blocks—a dominant two-way performance that defined the championship.

“What a beautiful moment. What a surreal moment," Ejiofor said after the game. “We had a target on our backs all year.”

Darling orchestrated the offense flawlessly and did not commit a turnover as the primary ball handler. Hopkins and Mitchell delivered timely shots and swarmed UConn’s guards alongside Ian Jackson, holding Ball and Mullins to a combined eight points.

The Huskies finished with 17 turnovers and allowed 24 points off those turnovers.

As the final whistle blew, history unfolded. St. John’s became the first Big East program to repeat as tournament champions since Villanova’s three-peat from 2017 to 2019.

It was the third time UConn and St. John's squared off for the Big East Tournament title, after splitting in 1999 and 2000, with the Johnnies now with the one-up advantage and bragging rights as top dogs in the Big East.

This marks their fifth Big East title in program history and their first repeat as tournament champs.

The Johnnies turn their focus to March. With an automatic bid secured and momentum fully on their side, they are not simply entering the NCAA Tournament.

They have arrived.

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