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  • St. John’s Dominates UConn, 72-52, To Win Back‑To‑Back BIG EAST Tournament Titles

St. John’s Dominates UConn, 72-52, To Win Back‑To‑Back BIG EAST Tournament Titles

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Basketball

(BCSNN) — St. John’s completed a wire‑to‑wire run through the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament, defeating second‑seeded UConn 72–52 on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden to claim its second straight conference tournament championship.

The Red Storm (28–6) captured their fifth BIG EAST Tournament crown (1983, 1986, 2000, 2025, 2026) and became the first program in league history to win back‑to‑back outright regular‑season titles and conference tournament championships. St. John’s also secured the BIG EAST’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

Across victories over Providence, Seton Hall and UConn, St. John’s led for 118:16 of 120 possible minutes and has now won 19 of its last 20 games since Jan. 6.

Head coach Rick Pitino earned his fifth BIG EAST Tournament title and the 16th conference tournament championship of his 38‑year college coaching career. He joins Jim Boeheim, John Thompson, Jay Wright and Jim Calhoun as the only coaches with five or more BIG EAST Tournament crowns.

Zuby Ejiofor was named the Dave Gavitt Trophy winner as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 19.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 1.3 steals. He delivered 18 points on 7‑for‑11 shooting and set a St. John’s BIG EAST Tournament and championship‑game record with seven blocks.

Bryce Hopkins added 18 points on 7‑for‑9 shooting and five rebounds, earning a spot on the All‑Tournament Team. Dillon Mitchell, also an All‑Tournament selection, finished with nine points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.

For the third straight game, St. John’s opened on a blistering run, scoring the first 10 points and hitting nine of its first 13 shots to build a 23–9 lead. The margin grew to 32–16 after a 7–0 spurt capped by an Ejiofor dunk, and the Red Storm shot 72.2 percent through their first 18 attempts. UConn trimmed the deficit to 40–27 at halftime.

Oziyah Sellers’ layup early in the second half pushed the lead to 47–29 before UConn responded with a 9–0 run to cut the margin to single digits. Hopkins halted the surge with a mid‑range jumper, and Ejiofor followed with a three‑pointer to restore a 12‑point cushion. Moments later, Ejiofor’s emphatic block led to a windmill dunk by Mitchell, igniting the Garden crowd with nine minutes remaining.

Hopkins’ late bucket extended the lead to 20 with 3:27 left, and St. John’s held UConn without a field goal for the final 8:05 to secure back‑to‑back titles. The Red Storm improved to 25–2 at Madison Square Garden over the last two seasons, tying the program’s best two‑year home mark set from 1950–52.

St. John’s will learn its NCAA Tournament opponent on Selection Sunday at 6 p.m. on CBS.