LIVE: St. John's basketball 72, UConn 50 — Red Storm Demolishing the Defending Champions With Under a Minute Left
Big East Tournament — Madison Square Garden, New York City
St. John's is seconds away from a statement win. The Red Storm lead the UConn Huskies 72–50 with 56 seconds remaining at Madison Square Garden — a dominant, wire-to-wire performance that has the Queens faithful in full voice. This is not close.
How It Unfolded
St. John's controlled the game from tip-off, leading 40–27 at halftime and never letting UConn breathe in the second half. The Huskies — two-time defending national champions — shot a dreadful 35.8% from the field and turned the ball over 17 times. The Red Storm converted 24 points off those turnovers.
The biggest lead hit 23 points. UConn's only run of any consequence was a 9-0 stretch — and even that barely dented the deficit.
Two Men, Two Dominant Lines
Bryce Hopkins is the story of the night. The forward went 7-of-9 from the field including a perfect 2-for-2 from three, finishing with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. He shot 83.6% true shooting — as efficient a performance as you'll see in a tournament game.
Zuby Ejiofor matched him. The big man posted 18 points, 9 rebounds, 7 blocks, and 3 steals on 63.6% shooting — a complete, suffocating defensive presence all night. UConn had no answer for either of them.
Oziyah Sellers added 14 points on 5-of-5 free throws. Dillon Mitchell contributed 9 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. Dylan Darling ran the offense efficiently with 5 assists.
UConn's Night to Forget
Tarris Reed Jr. fought hard — 17 points and 7 rebounds — but it was lonely work. The rest of the Huskies couldn't hit water from the ocean: Braylon Mullins shot 2-of-9, Solo Ball went 1-of-7, Silas Demary Jr. converted just 1-of-6 from the field. Three-point shooting as a team sat at 16.7%.
The defending champions looked nothing like themselves. Seventeen turnovers, 35.8% from the field, no lead at any point in the game.
What This Means
St. John's advance in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden — their home court in every sense — heading to the semifinals. With March Madness selection days away, Rick Pitino's Red Storm are sending a message: they belong among the elite. Tonight, they proved it against the benchmark program in college basketball.
