“You’re going to make me retire. I can’t live life without you,” Rick Pitino said jokingly to Zuby Ejiofor after their season-defying victory on Feb. 6 over UConn.
On Tuesday night, reality struck: Ejiofor would be playing his final regular-season game as a Johnnie at Madison Square Garden, participating in the pregame ceremony honoring the five seniors leaving the St. John’s team following this season.
Ejiofor put on a show for the Red Storm fans in attendance, ending his night with 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocks and steals.
“I’m glad he’s graduating, get him the hell out of here,” Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley said. “Zuby was the difference-maker — he’s going to get my vote for Big East player of the Year and Defensive POY.”
Georgetown would find itself with an early lead, through the first 10 minutes, led by the strong scoring of guard Jeremiah Williams, who scored nine early points. On the opposite end, it was Dylan Darling who showed his worth in the starting lineup, scoring eight early points. Other than the two guards, it was a dull first 20 minutes — besides for exchanged words between Ejiofor and Georgetown Ed Cooley following a one-handed tomahawk slam.
Halftime hit, Georgetown held a strong 34-26 lead thanks to a poor start from the field for the Johnnies, who went 11-for-31.
Again, sloppy play was on full display for the Red Storm, finding themselves down as much as 10 points within the first five minutes of the final 20 minutes, showing shades of the UConn massacre in Hartford a week ago, struggling to find an offensive pulse.
However, it was physical play, and the energy filled inside the World’s Greatest Arena that allowed St. John’s to claw back into the contest. Former Johnnie Vince Iwuchukwu made his return to the Garden, one that garnered several boos, along with handchecks from his former teammates while on the floor, with many physical scenes that could’ve escalated further. The Red Storm found themselves down 55-53 with seven minutes remaining, outscoring the Hoyas 27-21 through the first 13 minutes of the final half.
Suddenly, after a 10-point deficit, the Johnnies found themselves in front, thanks to a steal-and-score from Dylan Darling, and late-game clutch shooting from Joson Sanon. Sanon, the Arizona State transfer, found himself in a spot of reliance, scoring all 15 of his points in the second half — going 5-9 in the final 20 minutes.
“I’m never hesitant,” said Sanon when asked about his shot. “My shot’s cold-blooded.”
The game was down to the wire — Georgetown trailing by three with the ball — 27 seconds left. Jeremiah Williams, the hero for the Hoyas, went up for the layup attempt, successful, and fouled by Bryce Hopkins, with the chance to tie it and force overtime.
The free throw attempt ringed in and out, handing St. John’s the hard-earned victory.
“We did what championship-level teams do. Grinded out,” said Ejiofor. “Come out with the win in the end. We told each other no matter what, we can win it in the end.”
With their final game at the Garden in the books, St. John’s finishes with a 10-2 record at MSG, the eighth time doing so in program history.
One game remains — much at stake in terms of Big East tournament seeding. As of right now, St. John’s has at least a share of the regular season title along with the No.2 seed in the tournament — if they defeat Seton Hall on Friday, they clinch at least a share of the regular season title. On Saturday, UConn plays Marquette on the road, with a loss and a Johnnies win — they’ll earn full credit as the Big East regular season champs, and the No.1 seed in the tournament for a second-straight season.
A loss to the Pirates? The Johnnies finish outright in second, with a meeting against the winner of Providence-Xavier guaranteed in the Big East tournament.
