NEW YORK — Zuby Ejiofor achieved a career-best performance, scoring 33 points to set a St. John’s record for the Big East Tournament. The sixth-ranked Red Storm secured a 79-63 victory over No. 25 Marquette on Friday night, advancing to the conference championship game for the first time in 25 years.
RJ Luis Jr., named Big East Player of the Year, contributed 13 points, and Ejiofor added nine rebounds as the top-seeded Red Storm (29-4) overcame an initial 15-point shortfall. They are now set to face No. 2 seed Creighton, who triumphed over third-seeded UConn with a 71-62 semifinal score, on Saturday night in Madison Square Garden.
Kadary Richmond also impressed with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists for St. John’s, who has secured eight consecutive wins and 18 out of 19 since the start of the new year. Under the guidance of their 72-year-old Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, the Johnnies are just one win away from clinching their fourth Big East Tournament title, the last of which occurred in 2000.
Kam Jones was the standout for the fifth-seeded Golden Eagles (23-10), scoring 24 points. Unfortunately for Marquette, they lost all three encounters with the Red Storm this season and have a 1-6 record against them in Big East Tournament history.
Takeaways from the game highlight Marquette’s vulnerability in the paint against St. John’s, a recurring challenge throughout the season. Still, the Golden Eagles are eager to compete against teams outside the Big East as they head into the NCAA Tournament.
St. John’s is making a compelling case for a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, showcasing an impeccable home record of 20-0, including an 11-0 run at Madison Square Garden — their highest number of Garden victories since achieving 13 wins in the 1958-59 season. The last time the Johnnies remained undefeated at home was in the 1931-32 season.
A pivotal moment in the match was when St. John’s was down by three early in the second half. Aaron Scott sank a crucial 3-pointer, followed by an upgraded flagrant 1 foul on Chase Ross after replay review, leading to two free throws by Ejiofor. This sparked a significant 16-3 run, putting the Red Storm ahead by 10 points with 14 minutes left. Scott contributed 11 points to the team’s efforts.
Statistically, Marquette’s early momentum with five successful 3-pointers in 10 attempts faded rapidly as they missed 12 consecutive shots. By the time David Joplin finally scored with 11:42 left, the Golden Eagles found themselves trailing by 10 after having been up by the same margin.
St. John’s previously split two regular-season games with Creighton, who is seeking its first Big East championship victory after four unsuccessful attempts.
