“Heck of a Big East game,” was Providence head coach Kim English’s review of St. John’s first Big East game in Madison Square Garden, a loss that could end hope of contention for the unranked Johnnies.
Before the worst possible outcome became reality for the Red Storm, all eyes were on Bryce Hopkins (9 pts, 10 rebs, 3-13 FG) for his first game against his former team. To begin this highly touted and emotional revenge game for one of St. John’s stars, it seemed like the contest would result in utter dominance from the Johnnies
Capped off by a dramatically ironic Hopkins three-pointer, the Red Storm began the game scoring 13 unanswered points while suppressing the Friars’ offense to zero points for nearly the first five minutes of gametime.
Providence’s first two baskets came from their backcourt duo of Jason Edwards (11 pts, 3-14 FG) and Julian Sellers (15 pts, 6-16 FG), both being the Friars’ leading scorers while averaging over 16 points per game. The duo’s opening scores cut the Johnnies’ lead to 10 at 15-5 with 13 minutes remaining in the first half.
Led by Edwards and Sellers, Providence roared back into the game. The Friars’ guards chipped away at St. John’s double-digit advantage by getting to the paint at will, outscoring a significantly larger St. John’s team by a 22-10 margin.
A Jamier Jones jumper gave Providence their first lead of the night at 25-24, signalling to Pitino that a response was necessary to keep his squad competitive against the red hot Friars.
Anchored by their Captain Zuby Ejiofor (33 pts, 15 rebs, 14-23 FT), St. John’s clapped back by usurping the lead from their opponent and coasting into halftime leading 38-31. After an altercation between Ejiofor and Providence’s enforcer Duncan Powell, the game revolved around any move the St. John’s big man would make.
His 18 points and 11 rebounds in the first half were game highs and his three three-pointers were a career high. Ejiofor’s stat-stuffing, record-setting performance continued into the second half, as did the Red Storm’s advantage.
Despite a memorable performance from Ejiofor, Coach Pitino could see that playing through their center isn’t a viable offensive strategy: “anytime Zuby is the most effective from outside; we’re in big trouble.”
To begin the second half, Hopkins finally added some help on the scoring end, making back-to-back layups to push St. John’s lead to 61-52 with under eight minutes remaining in regulation.
After a near three minute long scoring drought where Providence narrowed the gap to just one point, the Johnnies would score their final field goal of the game with three minutes to go. The Friars completely broke down the Johnnies defense, ending the game on a 14-3 scoring run to win by a final score 77-71.
“This is a night where we had very little,” Pitino said regarding the disappointing loss. “It was disappointing by us, disappointing all the way around; now our backs are against the wall very early in the season.”
This come-from-behind defeat for St. John’s marks the first loss of Big East play with only three games played, a conference that they dominated last season by a record of 18-2. Now sitting at 9-5, with as many losses as the 2025 season, the Red Storm will be under colossal pressure for the remaining 17 games of the season.
Another chance to turn their season around will come against Butler on Jan. 6, but a turnaround may be too little too late.
