NEW YORK — In a crucial matchup in the Big East, RJ Luis Jr. delivered an impressive performance, scoring 23 points and securing 14 rebounds, leading No. 9 St. John’s to a 79-73 victory over No. 24 Creighton on Sunday.
The Red Storm’s record improved to 22-4 overall and 13-2 in conference play, putting them two games ahead of the Bluejays, who now stand at 18-8 and 11-4. A victory for Creighton could have granted them the advantage in a potential tie-breaker scenario with St. John’s, which is aiming for its first regular-season championship since 1986.
Luis, who notched his eighth double-double of the season, shot 6-of-17 from the field and was particularly strong at the free-throw line, hitting six crucial shots in the last two minutes and finishing 10-of-13 overall. This win marked the ninth victory in the last ten games for St. John’s.
Supporting Luis, Kadary Richmond also had a significant impact with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Zuby Ejiofor chipped in with 18 points and nine rebounds. On the other side, Creighton’s Steven Ashworth topped his team with 23 points. However, the Bluejays suffered their second consecutive loss following a nine-game winning streak. Jamiya Neal added 19 points, but Ryan Kalkbrenner was limited to just 12 points and showed signs of difficulty due to an injury to his right foot sustained mid-game.
Kalkbrenner’s injury occurred during a battle for a rebound with Ejiofor and Luis as he needed assistance to head to the locker room with 9:45 remaining. He did return to the game with 3:47 left on the clock.
In terms of statistics, Creighton struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on only 8-of-30 three-point attempts (26.7%). Similarly, in their prior loss to UConn, the Bluejays only managed 29.2% (7-of-24) shooting from three. For St. John’s, Deivon Smith made a comeback from a neck injury that sidelined him during a previous loss at Villanova, contributing 10 points on a 4-of-9 shooting night after a challenging stretch with his shooting.
A pivotal moment in the game came after Creighton trailed by a significant margin; they narrowed the gap to 61-59 with a tip-in from Neal with 6:37 remaining. However, St. John’s quickly countered, with Aaron Scott hitting a three-pointer followed by a jumper from Luis.
Key shooting stats revealed that the Red Storm managed to shoot 58.6% (17-of-29) from the free-throw line, which proved crucial in securing their victory.
Looking ahead, Creighton will return to the court next Sunday against Georgetown, while St. John’s will face DePaul on Wednesday.
