Top-Seeded St. John’s Cruises Past Providence in BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinal, 85-72

Thursday, March 12

New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden)

12 p.m.

St. John's University

26-6,18-2Big East

Providence

15-18,7-13Big East

Providence

St. John's (NY)

Zuby Ejiofor became the first player in BIG EAST Tournament history to record a line of 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

Top-Seeded St. John’s Cruises Past Providence in BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinal, 85-72

3/12/2026 3:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Red Storm senior Zuby Ejiofor becomes first player in BIG EAST Tournament history to record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in a single-game

NEW YORK - Behind a record-setting, all-around performance from Zuby Ejiofor, top-seeded St. John's (26-6) cruised to a wire-to-wire 85-72 victory over ninth-seeded Providence in the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinal on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

With the win, the Johnnies advance to the semifinals for the third consecutive year, the program's longest stretch since it made three straight appearances in 1998-2000. Prior to the arrival of Rick Pitino, St. John's had not made it to semifinal round since 2000.

Just one day after being named BIG EAST Player of the Year, Ejiofor lived up to the billing to start the postseason delivering 21 points on 64.3 percent (9-14 FG) shooting, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. The senior becomes the first player in BIG EAST Tournament history to post that stat line. The Garland, Texas native has registered seven double-doubles and 10 20-point outings this season, including three straight games exceeding the 20-point mark.

All-BIG EAST Second Team honoree Bryce Hopkins recorded a double-double, his third over the last seven games. The graduate student finished with 14 points and a season-high 13 rebounds.

With today's performance, St. John's has had multiple players record double-doubles in each of its last two BIG EAST Tournament games. RJ Luis Jr. and Kadary Richmond posted double-doubles in last year's 82-66 championship victory over Creighton.

Oziyah Sellers added 14 points for his 17^th double-digit scoring performance of the season. Ian Jackson also chipped in 14 points and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Since Nov. 26, Jackson has shot 47-of-50 (94.0%) from the charity stripe. Dillon Mitchell also pulled down eight rebounds to open the postseason.

The Johnnies dominated the glass outrebounding the Friars, 51-30, including 18-4 on the offensive glass. The 51 boards matched a season-high and was two short of the program's BIG EAST Tournament record of 53 set against Butler on March 8, 2023.

Providence's Stefan Vaaks led all scorers with 23 points and made five 3-pointers in midtown Manhattan.

The Red Storm started the game with five offensive rebounds on the opening possession. The Johnnies proceeded to run out to a 9-0 advantage, including an Ejiofor jam that forced a Friars timeout at the 16:53 mark. St. John's held Providence scoreless the first 4:47 and without a field goal for the initial 5:56.

The Johnnies expanded their cushion as Joson Sanon's triple sparked a 7-0 scoring spurt. The run was capped off by a steal that led to a breakaway slam on the other end from Hopkins to bring the score to 20-5 with 13:06 on the first half clock. After Providence brought its deficit back to single-digits, Ejiofor came alive tallying back-to-back lay-ins and a dish to Sanon for 3-pointer as the lead ballooned back to 15, 28-13.

Jackson closed out a 5-0 individual spurt by flushing a step-back 3-pointer to propel the lead 20 with just over five minutes left in the opening half. Sellers then hit a mid-range jumper as the lead grew to as many as 23. St. John's went into the locker with a 48-27 advantage.

The 21-point advantage tied for the largest cushion at the break in St. John's BIG EAST Tournament history, matching the 47-26 halftime lead in the 2003 quarterfinal against Notre Dame on March 12.

In the second half, the two sides traded baskets before the Friars began to pick up steam. Providence rallied for 12-4 run to climb back within 11, 59-48, with 12:15 remaining.

However, the Red Storm answered with a 6-0 spurt in just 22 seconds to go up 71-53 and force Providence into a timeout. The Red Storm's run expanded to 10 straight points as Jackson threw a lob to Mitchell for the alley-oop jam in transition.

In the final minutes, the Friars chipped away but the deficit was far too much to overcome as the Red Storm rolls into the semifinals at The World's Most Famous Arena.

With today's victory, St. John's has won 1,999 career games in its 118-year history, which ranks eighth all-time in NCAA Division I.

St. John's will advance to tomorrow's BIG EAST Tournament Semifinal against the winner of fourth-seeded Seton Hall and fifth-seeded Creighton at 5:30 p.m. on FOX.