St. John’s Late-Game Comeback Falls Short at Creighton, 57-56

Tuesday, December 31

Omaha, Neb. (CHI Health Center Omaha)

4 p.m.

St. John's University

11-3,2-1Big East

Creighton

9-5,2-1Big East

St. John's (NY)

Creighton

St. John’s Late-Game Comeback Falls Short at Creighton, 57-56

12/31/2024 7:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Red Storm ended the game on an 8-2 stretch but were unable to convert the game-winner at the buzzer

OMAHA, Neb. – The St. John's men's basketball team orchestrated a late-game comeback but narrowly fell at Creighton, 57-56, on New Year's Eve in Omaha.

The Red Storm (11-3, 2-1 BIG EAST) nearly mounted the comeback after ending the game on an 8-2 scoring run and holding the Bluejays (9-5, 2-1 BIG EAST) without a field goal over the final 4:31, but missed the mark on a pair of chances for the game-winner on the final possession.

Zuby Ejiofor delivered another stellar performance, notching his ninth double-figure effort of the season with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor. The Garland, Texas native drilled a career-high two 3-pointers and added eight boards, including five on the offensive end.

Senior guard Deivon Smith was the second St. John's player to finish in double digits, adding 10 points and four steals, including a crucial lay-up with 0:36 to play to make it a one-point game. Kadary Richmond chipped in nine points, six rebounds and three steals.

The Johnnies forced 19 Creighton turnovers, matching the Bluejays' highest total since the 2022 NCAA Tournament. St. John's converted 16 points off the takeaways and registered 11 steals, marking the fifth-straight game with double-digit swipes.

Creighton was paced by Ryan Kalkbrenner, who tallied 16 points, nine boards and five blocks. The Bluejays' Steven Ashworth knocked down on four triples and tallied a game-high 18 points.

On the opening possession of the game, Ejiofor knocked a triple to start the Red Storm off on the right foot. The Johnnies continued to roll early jumping out to a 9-2 advantage after an emphatic fastbreak jam over a Creighton defender from RJ Luis Jr. off a turnover. St. John's forced five miscues in the opening six minutes of the contest.

Ejiofor hit his second triple of the game before Vince Iwuchukwu ballooned the Red Storm's lead to double digits, 18-7, on a putback attempt in the paint with just over 10 minutes to play in the opening stanza.

The Bluejays knocked down five 3-pointers in the first half, seeing Ashworth hit his third of under two minutes to play and taking a 26-25 edge.

The Red Storm reclaimed the lead before intermission as Aaron Scott battled to grab an offensive board through three Bluejay defenders and completed a three-point play to take a 28-26 lead at the break.

St. John's and Creighton battled defensively to open the second stanza, as neither side led by more than four points through the first nine minutes. After the Bluejays took their largest lead of the game, Richmond finished a pivotal bucket to bring the deficit back to six, 54-48, with just over four minutes to play.

The Red Storm continued to claw back its way back over as Smith forced a steal before Ejiofor tucked home a putback off the rim to make it a one-point game, 55-54, with 94 seconds to go. Ashworth, the nation's leading free throw shooter, knocked down a pair at the charity stripe to push the Bluejays' edge back to three, 57-54, with just under a minute remaining.

Smith willed the Johnnies back with another strong finish at the rim to make it a one-point game, 57-56. The Decatur, Ga., native remained relentless on the ball and forced the team's 11^th steal of the contest. On the final possession, Luis rose up for a mid-range jumper that was off the mark before corralling the offensive board. The junior drove towards the basket and tried to sink a floater attempt through contact at the buzzer, however, missed the mark as Creighton held on for a one-point win at home.

The Red Storm will return to Queens on Saturday for "Lou Carnesecca Day" as the program will honor the legendary coach as it takes on Butler at 2 p.m. on FS1.