St. John's University Athletics
Friday, March 13
New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden)
5:30 p.m.
St. John's University
27-6,18-2Big East
78
vs
68
Seton Hall
21-12,10-10Big East
1st half1
2nd half2
FinalF
Seton Hall
30
38
68
St. John's (NY)
38
40
78
Top-Seeded St. John’s Marches into the BIG EAST Championship Game
3/13/2026 10:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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Red Storm senior forward Zuby Ejiofor goes for a team-high 20-points and seven rebounds en route to a 78-68 victory over Seton Hall on Friday
NEW YORK – The St. John's men's basketball team (27-6) punched its ticket to the BIG EAST Championship game with a 78-68 over Seton Hall (21-12) on Friday at Madison Square Garden. Zuby Ejiofor shined once again for the Red Storm, posting team-highs of 20 points and five rebounds in a wire-to-wire victory over its old-school BIG EAST rival.
With the win, the Johnnies make their seventh all-time appearance in the title game and will go for the program's first ever back-to-back crown. The Red Storm earned its first BIG EAST Tournament title in 25 years last season sealing it with a victory over Creighton on March 15, 2025, at The Mecca. St. John's last appeared in consecutive BIG EAST titles games in 1999-2000.
The Johnnies won their 2,000th game in program history on Friday night reaching the milestone in 118-year history of St. John's men's basketball. St. John's ranks eighth all-time in total victories in NCAA Division I Basketball history joining Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, Temple and Syracuse.
With tonight's victory, St. John's becomes the third team in conference history to win five straight BIG EAST Tournament contests by double-digits joining Villanova (2017-19) and Connecticut (1999-2000).
Joson Sanon was a spark off the bench for St. John's, posting 15 points while sinking three of the team's four 3-pointers. Teammates Dillon Mitchell (13) and Bryce Hopkins (13) rounded out the four Johnnies to score in double figures with 13 points apiece and combined for nine of the team's 15 assists.
As a team, the Red Storm shot a hot 52.1 percent (25-48 FG) from the field and sank 24-of-30 (80.0 percent) attempts at the free-throw line. St. John's is 15-0 when it shoots 50% or better from field goal range.
The Johnnies rushed out to an 8-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest, capped by a one-handed slam by Ejiofor, and never looked back. The BIG EAST Player of the Year had 10 of the team's first 22 points, hitting five of his first seven attempts from the floor.
Sanon caught heat from distance off the bench in the opening stanza, scoring 10 of St. John's next 12 points completed by a four-point play with his third triple that put the Red Storm on top by double digits, 34-23, at the 3:32 mark. The Johnnies carried a 38-30 advantage into the break with Ejiofor (12), Sanon (10) and Mitchell (10) combining for 32 of the team's 38 points in the opening frame.
In the second half, the Red Storm scored the first 11 points of the frame capped by an Oziyah Sellers' bucket that pushed the team out to its largest advantage of the game, 49-30, at 15:39. Defensively, the Johnnies stifled Seton Hall in the early going, holding the Pirates without a field goal for just over six minutes.
Led by a 17-point, 11-assist effort by Budd Clark, Seton Hall eventually whittled the Red Storm's lead down to single digits, 61-53, with a pair of free-throws from the senior guard at the 5:08 mark. The Pirates got within six, 62-56, with just under five minutes to play on a triple by A.J. Staton-McCray.
However, St. John's countered with the next seven points, capped by a pair of free-throws by Hopkins at 2:27 to all but secure the Red Storm's fifth-straight victory and 18th in its last 19 contests.
The Red Storm await the winner of the evening's second semifinal between second-seeded Connecticut and 11th-seeded Georgetown. Saturday's championship bout is set for 6:30 p.m. on FOX.
With the win, the Johnnies make their seventh all-time appearance in the title game and will go for the program's first ever back-to-back crown. The Red Storm earned its first BIG EAST Tournament title in 25 years last season sealing it with a victory over Creighton on March 15, 2025, at The Mecca. St. John's last appeared in consecutive BIG EAST titles games in 1999-2000.
The Johnnies won their 2,000th game in program history on Friday night reaching the milestone in 118-year history of St. John's men's basketball. St. John's ranks eighth all-time in total victories in NCAA Division I Basketball history joining Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, Temple and Syracuse.
With tonight's victory, St. John's becomes the third team in conference history to win five straight BIG EAST Tournament contests by double-digits joining Villanova (2017-19) and Connecticut (1999-2000).
Joson Sanon was a spark off the bench for St. John's, posting 15 points while sinking three of the team's four 3-pointers. Teammates Dillon Mitchell (13) and Bryce Hopkins (13) rounded out the four Johnnies to score in double figures with 13 points apiece and combined for nine of the team's 15 assists.
As a team, the Red Storm shot a hot 52.1 percent (25-48 FG) from the field and sank 24-of-30 (80.0 percent) attempts at the free-throw line. St. John's is 15-0 when it shoots 50% or better from field goal range.
The Johnnies rushed out to an 8-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest, capped by a one-handed slam by Ejiofor, and never looked back. The BIG EAST Player of the Year had 10 of the team's first 22 points, hitting five of his first seven attempts from the floor.
Sanon caught heat from distance off the bench in the opening stanza, scoring 10 of St. John's next 12 points completed by a four-point play with his third triple that put the Red Storm on top by double digits, 34-23, at the 3:32 mark. The Johnnies carried a 38-30 advantage into the break with Ejiofor (12), Sanon (10) and Mitchell (10) combining for 32 of the team's 38 points in the opening frame.
In the second half, the Red Storm scored the first 11 points of the frame capped by an Oziyah Sellers' bucket that pushed the team out to its largest advantage of the game, 49-30, at 15:39. Defensively, the Johnnies stifled Seton Hall in the early going, holding the Pirates without a field goal for just over six minutes.
Led by a 17-point, 11-assist effort by Budd Clark, Seton Hall eventually whittled the Red Storm's lead down to single digits, 61-53, with a pair of free-throws from the senior guard at the 5:08 mark. The Pirates got within six, 62-56, with just under five minutes to play on a triple by A.J. Staton-McCray.
However, St. John's countered with the next seven points, capped by a pair of free-throws by Hopkins at 2:27 to all but secure the Red Storm's fifth-straight victory and 18th in its last 19 contests.
The Red Storm await the winner of the evening's second semifinal between second-seeded Connecticut and 11th-seeded Georgetown. Saturday's championship bout is set for 6:30 p.m. on FOX.
Team Stats
SHU
SJU
FG%
.415
.521
3FG%
.250
.333
FT%
.750
.800
RB
30
33
TO
12
13
STL
9
9
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
6
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Players Mentioned
Forward
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Guard
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