St. John’s Opens BIG EAST Play with Pair of Wins
Rick Pitino’s Red Storm improve to 10-2 with wins over DePaul and Providence
NOAH ZIMMERMAN
noah@queensledger.com
The St. John’s University Red Storm improved to 10-2 last Friday night as they capped off a pair of wins to open conference play in the BIG EAST, 89-61 over DePaul and a 72-70 victory in Rhode Island.
The Red Storm overcame a 16-point 1st half deficit in Providence, taking the lead with 4 minutes remaining in the 2nd half. A three from Bensley Joseph knotted the game up at 70 with 20 seconds remaining to keep the Friars in the game, but St. John’s carried the ball back down court with a chance to win.
Breakout Jr. Zuby Ejiofor pulled down an offensive rebound in the dying seconds, bailing out a miss by Sr. guard Deivon Smith. Ejiofor floated home the game-winner at the buzzer, leading St. John’s to victory with a game-high 19 points and 10 boards.
“Obviously, it was good to be on the good side of a buzzer beater and just win on the road,” said the forward following the game.
“Showing your toughness, fighting through adversity, coming back in the second half and taking care of business. Everybody can go home and enjoy Christmas.”
An extra gift for Ejiofor this holiday season is his third consecutive appearance on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll and 4th honor this season. He maintains a Division 1-leading 4.6 offensive rebounds, with the most recent setting up his game winning shot.
“My philosophy and Coach [Pitino] says every shot is essentially my rebound. I have pride in going and getting my team a second chance. That’s exactly what I did, find a way to get an offensive rebound and put it in the rim,” said Ejiofor.
Despite the early deficit in Providence, Coach Pitino ensured the Red Storm remained confident in the face of adversity.
“I told the guys in one timeout, ‘This is nothing. I’ve been down 30 points with 15:30 to go on the road. It’s nothing. You’re going to come back and win this game. Just be patient, take your time, one possession at a time.”
St. John’s head into their final non-conference matchup this Saturday as they host Delaware at Carnesecca Arena in Queens. The Red Storm return to BIG EAST play on December 31, wrapping up 2024 in Nebraska as they visit Creighton.
Breakout junior Zuby Ejiofor was celebrated following his game-winner in Providence (Photo from @stjohnsbball on Instagram)
The Red Storm poured onto the court to celebrate the buzzer-beater as they began BIG EAST play 2-0. (Photo from @stjohnsbball on Instagram)
