Cheers of “Let’s Go Johnnies!” roared through Madison Square Garden as St. John’s defeated Big East rival UConn 89-75 in a playoff atmosphere.
The energy in the Garden was undeniable — with local favorites Spike Lee, former Mets closer and St. John’s alum John Franco, and ex-Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury in attendance.
Slow Start, Second-Half Stumble
St. John’s got off to a slow start, finding themselves down 6-0 within the first two minutes.
But the Red Storm quickly regrouped, tying the game with 14:17 left in the first half and then going on an 11-0 run to put themselves up 35-24.
By halftime, the Johnnies were up by 18.
In the second half, St. John’s extended their lead to as much as 22 points, but UConn wasn’t going down without a fight.
The Huskies clawed their way back into the game with a 13-2 run, cutting the deficit to single digits. With 12 minutes left in the second half, UConn had narrowed the gap to just nine points, forcing St. John’s to call a timeout.
A Dominant Finish for St. John’s
Head Coach Rick Pitino almost certainly gave his players a pep talk peppered with choice words.
During the timeout, the Fox broadcast showed an earlier profanity-laced locker room motivational speech to his squad, telling his Gen Z players that adversity is a part of life and they’re going to have to learn how to deal with it.
The locker room pep watch was from the new Vice Sports documentary series, “Pitino: Red Storm Rising.”
Whatever Pitino said worked. When play resumed, Kadary Richmond stepped up, draining a deep jumper to push the lead back to 11 and steady the Red Storm.
It was a balanced scoring effort for St. John’s, with all five starters scoring in the double digits. But the Red Storm’s defense was just as important in the win. The Johnnies combined for 11 blocks and 11 steals. The Huskies had 17 turnovers — a good deal of which was forced by Pitino’s classic full-court press.
With the win, St. John’s remains atop the Big East. The No. 10 team in the country, they’re now 15-2 in conference play and 24-4 overall. The Johnnies now have March Madness on their mind.
Upcoming St. John’s Games
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
St. John’s @ Butler
Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN, 9:00 PM Eastern
TV: CBS Sports Network | Tickets
Saturday, March 1, 2025
Seton Hall vs. St. John’s
Carnesecca Arena, Queens, NY, 2:15 PM Eastern
TV: CBS | Tickets
Saturday, March 8, 2025
St. John’s @ Marquette
Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI, TBD
TV: FOX/FS1 | Tickets
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