Facebook Twitter Instagram
718 426 7200
Facebook Twitter Instagram

Zuby Ejiofor Elevates Red Storm Over Nova in Bounce-back Win

BQE Admin on March 3, 2026

St. John’s captain records first ever triple-double to blow out the visiting Wildcats

Zuby Ejiofor recorded his first ever competitive triple-double, becoming the fourth known member of St. John’s to do so. He follows Kadary Richmond’s 2025 performance, Ron Artest’s in 1999, and David Cain’s in the 1993 NCAA Tournament. (Photos by Noah Zimmerman)

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

It was wire to wire dominance for the UConn Huskies in Hartford, Connecticut last Wednesday night. After falling at Madison Square Garden a few weeks ago, the #6 team in the nation blew out the #15 ranked St. John’s Red Storm, 72-40.

For the visiting Johnnies it was by far their worst shooting performance of the season. Their 40 points were the lowest scored by either team in a Red Storm game this year. It also marked the least points ever scored by a Rick Pitino-coached team.

Joson Sanon was the only Johnnie in double figures, scoring 10 points on 3/10 shooting. The Red Storm hit just 25% of their perimeter shots and 20% of their field goal attempts. 

In the second half they only converted two field goal attempts, missing their last 24 and only scoring 14 total points. The missed-FG streak is the longest in Division 1 and the worst stretch for any nationally ranked or BIG EAST team in eight years.

“All I know is we didn’t play good offense,” said Pitino after the game. “We did things that we’ve never done. And again, that’s something I got to question about myself, and I will question it because the team did not do the things we’ve done in the last 13 games. Give [UConn] credit. We’ll move on.”

“I’ve never been through that experience,” said Zuby Ejiofor when asked to describe what happened on Wednesday night. “This loss is one that you really want to forget and move on to the next opponent because Villanova is a great team as well. Championship-level teams respond in a positive way, and my job is to make sure that we are a lot more prepared for the next opponent than we were tonight.”

St. John’s were more than prepared as they opened an early 11-2 lead against the Wildcats on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. The lead ballooned as large as 30 points in the first half, punctuated by a series of invigorating dunks.

Ian Jackson had five steals against Nova, setting a career high. He took one all the way to the bucket with an emphatic windmill jam.

All over the ball on the defensive end was Ian Jackson, who amassed an impressive three first half steals en route to a career-best five. His transition dunk was the cherry on top; an emphatic windmill slam that brought the raucous MSG crowd to their feet. Jackson scored 19, one of his best nights as a Johnnie.

Things didn’t get much easier for Villanova in the second half. Freshman forward Matt Hodge went down with an injury later confirmed to be a season-ending ACL tear, and despite his teammates coming to life and briefly cutting the deficit to 20 points, the Red Storm maintained a comfortable advantage.

In the waning moments of the matchup, Zuby Ejiofor put the finishing touches on a dominant night. With just over three minutes to go he found Joson Sanon for a midrange jumper, tallying his 10th assist.

Zuby knocks down a deep jumper against Villanova. He was firing on all cylinders, dominating on offense and defense.

The MSG crowd roared once more as Ejiofor celebrated his first ever competitive triple-double. The Red Storm captain scored 16 points with 12 rebounds to go with his career-high in assists, also picking up three blocks and a steal on the defensive end.

Zuby’s triple-double marks just the fourth in St. John’s history. He followed Kadary Richmond’s 2025 performance, Ron Artest’s in 1999, and David Cain’s in the 1993 NCAA Tournament.

On the same day as Zuby’s, Richmond picked up his first professional triple-double with the Capital City Go-Go in the NBA G League. Another senior from last year’s Red Storm squad, Deivon Smith, recorded his own the following day for the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors.

Rick Pitino brought out the white suit for Saturday night’s contest. It delighted the sold-out MSG crowd, who gave him a standing ovation.

The Red Storm out-assisted Villanova 26-11 and out-rebounded them 40-26. It was complete dominance and a much-needed bounce back win as St. John’s heads into their season finale this Friday night in New Jersey.

Following an emotional senior night on Tuesday against Georgetown, all that’s left to decide the BIG EAST regular season championship is the Red Storm’s contest against the Seton Hall Pirates and UConn’s matchup with last place Marquette.

If UConn and St. John’s finish tied, the Red Storm will likely claim the top seed for the BIG EAST Tournament due to their sweep against Creighton. The tournament runs from March 11 to the 14 at Madison Square Garden.

On Mondayís AP College Basketball Rankings the Red Storm slid to #18, with UConn back up to #4. Villanova is also receiving votes and should appear in the NCAA Tournament later this month.

Streak Hits 13 as Red Storm Take Over BIG EAST Lead

BQE Admin on February 24, 2026

Regular Season nears finale as Johnnies beat Marquette and Creighton, rise to #15

It was a Red Storm rampage from start to finish on Saturday afternoon. Their win over Creighton was the largest in BIG EAST play at Madison Square Garden since 1992! (Photos by Noah Zimmerman)

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

The Red Storm surged into first place outright in the BIG EAST last week following a win on the road against the Marquette Golden Eagles and a UConn loss to Creighton. St. John’s would go on to thank Creighton with a blowout win over the weekend, downing the Bluejays 81 to 52.

It wasn’t pretty but the Red Storm did enough to dispatch the bottom-dwelling Golden Eagles. Despite blowing a sizable lead around halftime, St. John’s were able to lock in late to claim a 76-70 win.

Bryce Hopkins led St. John’s scorers with 23 points, also pulling down ten boards for a double-double. He didn’t get much help as only Oziyah Sellers and Zuby Ejiofor scored in double figures. Dillon Mitchell and Dylan Darling were both held scoreless, though they led the team in assists with four and five, respectively.

On Saturday afternoon, the Red Storm looked for a much more decisive result. They opened play against Creighton with an 8-0 run, holding a ten-point advantage for most of the opening frame.

It was Johnnies Day at the Garden, and fans were in high spirits with their red shirts and signs. The Red Storm fans were invigorated by a Darling steal and Ejiofor dunk, re-establishing a double-digit lead after a pair of Fedor Zugic threes cut the lead to six.

By the end of the first half, St. John’s were firmly in control, 42-27. In the second frame, the Red Storm began to really pull away.

It didn’t take long until the lead was up to 30 points, growing as large as 33 in the final minutes of action. There was no path back into the game for the Bluejays as St. John’s finished off their biggest conference win at MSG since 1992, when they took down the #6 UConn Huskies.

A pair of 15-point performances by Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins led the way for St. John’s starters but it was another stellar game from Dylan Darling to lead the way for the Red Storm. Darling scored 17 points on 5/7 shooting, also picking up a game-high three steals.

Bryce Hopkins has turned his season around, especially in the last few games since a heated exchange in Providence.

For Creighton, no Bluejay scored more than Zugic’s 9 (3/5 from three). They were handily out-assisted and out-rebounded by St. John’s and matched their season worst with 18 turnovers.

With the win, St. John’s improved to 15-1 in the BIG EAST and 22-5 overall. On Monday they continued to ascend the AP College Basketball rankings, moving to #15. It’s their highest mark since they were ranked #14 in November.

Dylan Darling has been spectacular during the Red Storm winning streak. He filled the bucket off the bench against the Bluejays.

Wednesday night’s battle in Connecticut could prove to be a decisive one with just three games remaining in regular season play. The Red Storm have all but clinched a top seed and bye for the start of the BIG EAST tournament, but there’s still work to be done to see out a phenomenal finish to the season.

On Saturday night the Red Storm will take on Villanova at Madison Square Garden, their final big matchup of the season. The Wildcats have been on the cusp of the Top-25 for a good portion of the season, also playing the Johnnies well despite an 86-79 loss in Pennsylvania earlier this year.

The final home game of the regular season is next Tuesday, March 3. St. John’s and the Georgetown Hoyas will start at 7pm. The season finale will tip-off across the Hudson River when the Red Storm visit the Seton Hall Pirates on Friday, March 6.

No Love Between St. John’s & Providence on Valentine’s Day

BQE Admin on February 18, 2026

Heated brawl breaks out in Providence as Red Storm win 11th straight

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

It was a heated affair on Valentine’s Day as the St. John’s Red Storm looked to avenge their lone BIG EAST loss of the season. This time in enemy territory, the Johnnies looked to fend off a physical Friars team that handed them a 77-71 loss at Madison Square Garden to kick off 2026.

The arena was a powder keg as Bryce Hopkins made his return to Rhode Island after transferring to St. John’s for his final year of eligibility. It felt like something was destined to happen after the first matchup between the Johnnies and Friars, and the home crowd was on their toes waiting for that spark.

That spark came five minutes into the second half of a tight ballgame, as the former Friar was fouled hard from behind. The aggressor, Providence’s Duncan Powell, was quickly swarmed by red shirts as he and Dillon Mitchell took swings at each other.

Six total players were ejected from the game. For the Friars, Powell and graduate guard Jaylin Sellers were thrown out, with the former handed a three-game suspension for “combative actions.” 

St. John’s went without Mitchell for the majority of the second half, ejected for attempting to punch Powell. Ruben Prey, Sadiku Ibine Ayo and Kelvin Odih were tossed for leaving the St. John’s bench during the scrap.

Still, for the visitors, the grit needed to win came between the lines, rather than in extra-curricular activities.

“We didn’t initiate anything,” commented Head Coach Rick Pitino after the game. “We talked about toughness as not turning the ball over, creating steals, getting offensive rebounds. That’s what we believe toughness is, and that’s all we talked about throughout the entire time.”

Pitino, who previously coached at Providence and led the Friars to the Final Four in 1987, was disappointed in the home crowd, who seemed bloodthirsty.

“I think the crowd lost objectivity of what they’re here for,” he said. “If they’re just here to poke fun at Bryce Hopkins and not get a win for the Friars, that’s not the Friars I remember in ‘87.”

Play resumed after a 20-minute delay, and the Red Storm quickly asserted themselves. Free throws and a quick bucket. They would keep their foot on the gas and see out the win, 79-69. It was the 11th consecutive victory for St. John’s dating back to their loss to Providence. Compared to the Johnnies, Providence has lost all but three contests since their upset win at MSG.

“I feel like we responded in the best way possible,” said Zuby Ejiofor, who finished with 14 points to lead St. John’s starters. “We were without [four] of our players and you know, Dylan [Darling] does what Dylan has been pretty much doing for a big stretch now. So I’m really proud of the guys, knowing how we competed for 40 minutes.”

Darling finished with a game-best 23 points, also picking up eight rebounds and three steals. 17 of those points came in the second half, where he was instrumental in the visitors pulling away and maintaining a lead down the stretch.

Darling’s play has been instrumental during the current winning streak and it’s clear St. John’s will need their dynamic guard performing come postseason in both the BIG EAST and NCAA tournament.

“Somebody needed to step up, I just try to bring energy,” said Darling about his performance. “We knew we needed to focus on every small detail to win the game, and that was really just our focus.”

On Monday Darling was named Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week, following Ejiofor who won the honor the week before. Darling also picked up his first appearance on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.

The Johnnies are back at MSG this weekend to finish the season series with the Creighton Bluejays. Tip-off is set for noon on Saturday the 21. 

After this weekend, only a pair of home games remain in the Red Storm schedule. On February 28 they welcome Villanova to Madison Square Garden, before hosting Georgetown in their penultimate regular season matchup on March 3.

Next week the Red Storm head back to New England, this time to play the #5 UConn Huskies in Hartford, CT. It’s sure to be another thrilling contest with the St. John’s streak still going strong and UConn looking to answer following their defeat earlier this month.

red Hot red Storm Take Down #3 Huskies at MSG

BQE Admin on February 12, 2026

St. John’s soars to #17, beats Xavier in OT

St. John’s senior Bryce Hopkins drives from the perimeter against UConn. Photos: Noah Zimmerman

By Noah Zimmerman

Noah@queensledger.com

St. John’s were finally able to pick up their first ranked win of the season, and it came against their toughest opponent of the year. On Friday night, the Red Storm welcomed their rivals, the #3 UConn Huskies, to the world’s most famous arena.

On the back of an 8-game winning streak, St. John’s began their ascent back up the national rankings after an unceremonious plummet from the top-25. They were tabbed at #22 in the nation ahead of Friday’s matchup.

It was an electric night at the Garden, drawing by far the loudest crowd with a primetime sellout. Fans were involved in every play, both on offense and defense. Visiting UConn supporters were noisy as well, with trash talk aplenty between the rival fanbases.

Red Storm wing Joson Sanon plays tough defense on UConn’s Solo Ball. Huskies head coach Dan Hurley is animated on the sideline.

Zuby Ejiofor was unbelievable in Friday’s contest. The St. John’s captain recorded another double-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. He added a trio of blocks and a pair of steals on defense for a terrific all-around game. Ejiofor was named BIG EAST and MWPA Player of the Week for his dominance against DePaul and UConn, adding fuel to his push for conference Player of the Year.

Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell helped Zuby with 15 and 14 points, respectively. The trio combined for 17/26 shooting and 22 of the Red Storm’s 32 rebounds. Off the bench Dylan Darling continued to put together a remarkable second half of the year, adding an efficient 9.

Hopkins gets to the glass for a bucket. He finished with 15 points.

For the Huskies it was senior Alex Karaban who really impressed. The forward went up against one of the top frontcourts in the nation and picked up an efficient 17 points on 7/10 shooting (3/4 from downtown). Silas DeMary Jr. led the Huskies with 18 points, but the UConn guard was hounded all game, resulting in 9 turnovers.

While they got help from the other starters, UConn’s bench only managed to score six combined points, nine less than the Red Storm reserves.

In the final minutes the Red Storm were unable to gain significant ground. Karaban brought the Huskies within a pair of points, but St. John’s were just barely able to keep ahead thanks to terrific defense down the stretch.

It was a short turnaround, but on Monday night Rick Pitino welcomed his son Richard and the Xavier Musketeers to MSG.

Fatigue looked to play a role as the Red Storm couldn’t hold a significant lead through the opening half. Every score had an answer, with Xavier hitting big shots to level the game at multiple points, including a three right at halftime to make it 42-42.

A focal point of the Red Storm defense was limiting Musketeers forward Tre Carroll, who scored 31 in the first matchup against St. John’s. The FAU transfer was held to just four points in the opening frame.

St. John’s made sure to keep Tre Carroll off the board in the first half, limiting him to 4 points. The Musketeers star scored 31 in their first matchup.

Bryce Hopkins stepped into a critical defensive role late, helping contain Carroll and other Xavier bigs and prevent a 2nd half collapse. He made a few terrific stops, but St. John’s just couldn’t get the game squared away as Xavier forced OT.

In the extra period, Xavier’s foul trouble finally got to them. On consecutive defensive possessions Jovan Milicevic, Isaiah Walker, and Malik Messina-Moore picked up their 5th and final personal fouls. Carroll scored 17 in the 2nd half but was kept from attempting a single shot in OT.

Zuby and Hopkins bullied Xavier on defense and drew fouls on the other end before the game was finally punctuated by an Oziyah Sellers fastbreak to make it 87-82.

It was a tough battle but St. John’s were able to pick up the win in an overtime battle, 87-82.

Rick Pitino picked up win #904, passing Roy Williams for 3rd on the all-time NCAA Division I wins list. Still, with the game going to overtime, Pitino wasn’t fully pleased with the effort.

“I hate getting any milestone against him but I go away tonight saying my son is a hell of a coach,” said Pitino postgame. “To say my son is a great coach is much more pleasing than any number of victories.”

The Red Storm will hit the road for three of their next four matchups. On Valentine’s Day the Johnnies have a date in Providence with the Friars, looking to avenge their lone BIG EAST defeat. Then on the 18th they head to Milwaukee to take on the basement-dwelling Marquette.

St. John’s returns to Madison Square Garden on February 21 to finish their season set against the Creighton Bluejays.

Johnnies Down Bluejays

BQE Admin on January 15, 2026

Best shooting night of the year gives the Red Storm a big road win over Creighton

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

The St. John’s Red Storm picked up vital BIG EAST wins on the road last week, defeating the Butler Bulldogs in Indianapolis before taking down the Creighton Bluejays in Omaha. Coming off a brutal loss to Providence, Rick Pitino and his team are looking to reestablish themselves and catch fire for an important stretch of conference play.

The win in Nebraska was done by way of aerial assault, playmaking, and rebounding. The Red Storm knocked down 12 threes and won both the assist and rebounding battles.

Seven of the St. John’s three-pointers came off the bench, with Lefteris Liotopoulos shooting 5/8 from downtown and Dylan Darling hitting 2/4. The Red Storm finished with 52.2% shooting from deep, by far their best mark in what’s been a relatively rough season from the floor.

For Liotopoulos, the past few BIG EAST matchups have been a good opportunity to earn important minutes in the rotation. The Sophomore out of Greece recorded his second double-digit scoring performance of the year on January 6 at Butler (10 points, matching Dec. 13 vs Iona) before using his sharpshooting to set a career high with 17 against the Bluejays in Omaha.

The back-to-back conference wins are just the beginning if St. John’s wants to steady a rocking ship. The #4 UConn Huskies are going to be very difficult to catch, already 6-0 in BIG EAST play and in order to secure a tournament bid they’ll need to finish near the top of a competitive conference.

Following Tuesday’s matchup with Marquette the next two contests for the Red Storm are on the road against 2nd place Villanova on Saturday and next Tuesday at MSG against 3rd place Seton Hall, who broke into the nation’s Top 25 this week.

“After the loss [to Providence] we gathered together and said, ‘we’re not going to lose anymore,’” said Liotopoulos following the win over Creighton. “We were great in practice, aggressive with a lot of energy and that translated on the court.”

The goal is set, and now it’s time for the Red Storm to deliver. Can they start the transformation of MSG back into the fortress it was last season, and can they do it in emphatic fashion against the rival Pirates?

Red Storm win First BIG EAST Tournament Since 2000!

BQE Admin on March 18, 2025

#2 Johnnies Head to Providence for 1st Round Matchup with #15 Omaha

By Noah Zimmerman

The St. John’s Red Storm are BIG EAST Tournament champions for the first time in 25 years. A 82-66 win over Creighton punctuated a stellar campaign, following up a regular season championship with a tournament title and sending the program to their 31st NCAA Tournament appearance as a #2 seed, just like in 2000.

The Red Storm weren’t tested by the Butler Bulldogs in their opener at Madison Square Garden as they won comfortably in the quarterfinals 78-57. In the semifinals it was a much tougher battle against nationally-ranked Marquette, hungry to best the Johnnies after two tight regular season losses.

Kai Jones was electric at the Garden as he looked to avenge his Senior Day defeat to St. John’s. The guard put up a strong 24 point, 7 rebound effort in the BIG EAST Semifinals, leading the Golden Eagles.

For the Red Storm it was Zuby Ejiofor dominating on New York’s hardwood. The junior put up a career best 33 points as St. John’s outscored Marquette 44-26 in the second half to complete a season sweep.

With the back-to-back champion UConn Huskies falling 71-62 to Creighton, the Red Storm would face the Bluejays in the BIG EAST final, the team that played them the best all season long.

St. John’s dug themselves into a typical early hole, but they quickly erased a 10-2 deficit as the game entered halftime 28-25 in favor of Creighton. In the second frame RJ Luis Jr. hit the jets as he finished off a 29-point, 10-rebound double-double.

After the Johnnies had opened a 70-55 lead with five minutes left, there was no path back into the game for Creighton, who finished a remarkable season with a 15-5 conference record and NCAA Tournament berth of their own.

On Selection Sunday, St. John’s were drawn into the West Region as the tournament’s best #2 seed, ranked 5th on both the AP Top-25 and Coaches Poll on Monday afternoon. They open the tournament on Thursday night in Providence, RI as they take on the #15 Omaha Mavericks.

The winner will take on either #7 Kansas or #10 Arkansas, meaning there may be another clash between Hall of Fame coaches after Bill Self’s Jayhawks and John Calipari’s Razorbacks face off in the first round.

For head coach Rick Pitino it’s a chance at a third national championship after he led Kentucky and Louisville to glory in 1996 and 2013 respectively. It’s a 20th appearance in the tournament for Pitino, who was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year last week. He also made history as the first BIG EAST coach to win the conference tournament at two schools, winning three times at Louisville.

RJ Luis Jr. continued to rake in national accolades as well, as the Red Storm star was named to the Associated Press 2nd Team All-America on Tuesday afternoon. The BIG EAST Player of the Year will have more to prove as his stage keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Three other BIG EAST teams qualified for the NCAAT, including UConn who were also drawn into the West as the #8 seed as they hunt a third straight title. They take on #9 Oklahoma in round 1 and have a chance to meet the Red Storm in the Elite 8 in San Francisco should both teams advance.

Creighton enter as the South’s #9 seed and Marquette the #7. They could also meet in the Elite 8. Xavier’s BIG EAST Tournament loss to Marquette put them on the verge of missing the NCAAT, but they will take on Texas in a First Four matchup to decide the #11 seed in the Midwest.

JJ: “An All Time New York Coaching Job. Now, The Fun Begins”

BQE Admin on March 18, 2025

By John Jastremski

Let’s be real about something right out of the gate.
There haven’t been a whole lot of great coaching performances by the coaches of our teams over the past decade plus.
Yeah I can give you Tom Coughlin in 2011 leading the Giants to a Super Bowl or Tom Thibodeau resurrecting a dead Knicks franchise, but the examples aren’t littered with great examples in this town since 2010.
I’ve been doing content in this city since 2011 and I’ve lived here my entire life, so that should give this next statement even more perspective.
Rick Pitino’s job with St John’s is one of the best coaching jobs I have seen in my lifetime in New York Sports.
No exaggeration, no hyperbole.
Rick Pitino has brought a program that has been super irrelevant on the national stage for two decades to a place it has not been in a long, long time.
Last week was a party for everyone associated with the St Johns Red Storm basketball program.
After winning their first Big East regular season crown since the days of Lou Carnesecca, the Johnnies completed their first Big East Tournament crown since 2000.
Madison Square Garden was a sea of red for the Johnnie’s dominant second half against the Creighton Blue Jays.
The Red Storm fell behind in both the semi final on Friday night and Saturday’s Championship game, but the common theme in both games was the relentless, top notch defense that overwhelmed their opponents on the Garden Floor.
In a year in which the basketball community mourned the loss of the great Lou Carnesecca, Pitino honored his legacy in the best way imaginable.
He won and he won big.
A sense of accomplishment, pride and good feelings are all over the Red Storm program at the moment.
However, the work is not done.
The NCAA Tournament begins this Thursday and St Johns has a chance to make some more history.
The program has not won an NCAA Tournament game in 25 years.
They are a 2 seed taking on Omaha. The streak of futility must end.
Newsflash, it will. Barring disaster.
Regardless of what happens, the next few weeks, this season will go down as an all timer for the St John’s program.
It’s already the year that brought the program back to life.
There are more memories to make, can Rick Pitino work his magic in the NCAA Tournament like he has done so many times throughout his illustrious coaching career?
We are about to find out…
You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on The Ringer Podcast Network every Sunday & Thursday on Spotify/Apple Podcasts. You can watch me nightly on Honda Sports Nite at 11 PM on SNY. 

Fill the Form for Events, Advertisement or Business Listing