New York, NY — Top-seeded St. John’s Red Storm began its Big East Tournament title defense with a convincing 85–72 victory over the Providence Friars in the quarterfinals Thursday night.
Forward Zuby Ejiofor led the way with an all-around performance, finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Bryce Hopkins contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds against his former team, helping St. John’s improve to 26–6 and move on to the semifinal round at Madison Square Garden.
The Red Storm will face either the Seton Hall Pirates or the Creighton Bluejays on Friday evening.
St. John’s received strong support from its bench and on the glass. Oziyah Sellers and reserve Ian Jackson each scored 14 points as the Red Storm dominated bench scoring 30–4 and controlled rebounds 51–30.
The loss could mark the end of an era for Providence. Head coach Kim English has reportedly been informed he will not return next season, according to several reports last week. This was his third season leading the Friars.
St. John’s took control immediately, opening the game with a 9–0 run and never surrendering the lead. The Red Storm built a 23-point advantage in the first half. Providence managed to narrow the gap to 11 shortly after halftime, but St. John’s regained momentum and stretched the margin to 24 with just over four minutes remaining.
Providence was led by Stefan Vaaks, who scored 23 points — 19 of them after halftime. Jaylin Sellers, the Big East scoring leader, added 21 points, while Ryan Mela chipped in 16.
Thursday’s matchup also carried extra emotion after tensions boiled over when the teams last met on Valentine’s Day. During that game in Providence, fans directed hostility toward Hopkins, who transferred to St. John’s for his final collegiate season after spending three years with the Friars before injuries shortened his tenure there.
Hopkins responded emphatically this time. He energized the crowd with a powerful dunk over 6-foot-10 Oswin Erhunmwunse, hanging briefly on the rim before tumbling to the floor after contact with Corey Floyd Jr.. The play drew a roar from the crowd but did not spark any further confrontation.
Moments later, Hopkins added a three-pointer and celebrated with a confident gesture toward the stands.
St. John’s now turns its attention to the semifinals, where it will look to continue its strong run after sweeping both Seton Hall and Creighton during the regular season.
