The Huskies were favored entering the Friday night showdown, but came out on the wrong end.
No. 22 St. John’s snapped No. 3 UConn’s 18-game winning streak to move into a virtual tie for the Big East lead with a hard fought 81-72 win on Friday night.
Playing before a sold-out house at Madison Square Garden in New York, the Red Storm won their ninth consecutive game in a crucial Big East meeting to help build their resume for the NCAA Tournament. UConn had been favored by 2.5 points entering play.
It was the 903rd career victory for Rick Pitino, in his third season as the head coach of St. John’s. That ties him for third on the all-time men’s Division I list with Roy Williams; Mike Krzyzewski (1,202 wins) and Jim Boeheim (1,116) sit atop the heap.
It had to be a disheartening loss for UConn head coach Dan Hurley and his team, who were previously unbeaten inside league play. The Huskies are now 22-2 overall and 12-1 in the Big East. St. John's is 18-5 and 11-1. Connecticut entered the game at No. 3 in the nation but is likely to drop when the new polls are released on Monday.
Zuby Ejiofor led the Red Storm in scoring with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He nearly recorded a triple-double, also pulling down 10 rebounds and dishing out seven assists. Dillon Mitchell scored 15 points and added six boards, while Bryce Hopkins had 14.
For UConn, Silas Demary Jr. led the way with 18 points. Senior Alex Karaban had 17 points while freshman Braylon Mullins had 11 on 4-of-8 shooting. UConn shot 55 percent from the floor and 47 percent from three-point range, but they were only 5-of-12 (42 percent) at the foul line. St. John's played aggressive from the start and was rewarded with 31 free-throw attempts.
UConn was also out-rebounded by six (32-26) and committed an uncharacteristic 15 turnovers.
St. John’s vs. UConn history
St. John’s holds a 40-34 lead in the all-time series against UConn. The two teams first met on March 20, 1951, with St. John’s winning 63-52. And before Friday night, St. John’s won the most recent game between the two, 89-75 last Feb. 23.
The two teams will meet again Feb. 25 at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford in this growing rivalry – something Pitino denied it is this week.
“You know, I don’t consider it a rival. I think they’re in a class by themselves,” Pitino told Jon Rothstein of “Inside College Basketball” this week.
“I think we’re just resurrecting our program, but I don’t consider that game more of a rivalry game than Villanova or Georgetown or Providence or anybody else because they’re in a class by themselves. They drive; they’re the engine that drives this league. They have the fan base like Kentucky. So, we’re trying to catch up certainly, and we’re working at it,”
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