No. 6 St. John’s beats Creighton 82-66 for first Big East Tournament crown in 25 years

NEW YORK — RJ Luis Jr. scored all but two of his 29 points after halftime and No. 6 St. John’s made 14 straight shots from the field in the second half to beat Creighton 82-66 on Saturday night for its first Big East Tournament title in 25 years.

Zuby Ejiofor added 20 points and Kadary Richmond had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the top-seeded Red Storm (30-4), who reached 30 wins for the third time in program history before a roaring hometown crowd at sold-out Madison Square Garden.

They earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for their first trip since 2019, making 72-year-old Hall of Famer Rick Pitino the first coach to take six schools to the Big Dance.

The others were Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville and Iona.

“For all the St. John’s fans, this is for you!” Pitino proclaimed during a postgame interview on the court, pausing to remove falling confetti from his lips. “St. John’s is New York’s team!”

Pitino, in his second season with the Johnnies, also became the first coach to win the Big East Tournament at two schools. He’s won three times in his last four seasons in the league, after guiding Louisville to championships in 2009, 2012 and 2013.

“I saved the best for last,” Pitino said to loud cheers from the crowd of 19,812.

Luis, the Big East Player of the Year, also grabbed 10 rebounds and was selected the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. He was draped in a Dominican Republic flag as fans chanted “MVP! MVP!” after the game.

“I’m so excited. I couldn’t be more blessed for this opportunity,” Luis said. “We’re going to keep on going.”

Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 15 for second-seeded Creighton (24-10), which fell to 0-5 in Big East championship games since joining the conference for the 2013-14 season.

It was the fourth Big East Tournament title for the Johnnies, who made the championship game for the first time since winning the 2000 trophy under Mike Jarvis. The previous two came in the 1980s under Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca, who died Nov. 30 about five weeks shy of his 100th birthday.

Luis was whistled for his second foul with 7:19 left before halftime and sat out the rest of the half.

After falling behind by eight early, St. John’s finally took its first lead at 43-41 with 11:55 remaining when backup big man Vince Iwuchukwu scored left-handed in the post over the 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner, the four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year.

That came 33 seconds after Ejiofor converted a tying three-point play that began a streak of 14 consecutive made field goals for the Johnnies, giving them to a 70-55 lead. Several were fast-break layups, although Luis drained a pair of 3-pointers and Aaron Scott nailed one of his own before Ejiofor finally missed a jumper with less than five minutes left.

By then, the Red Storm had gone more than 7 1/2 minutes without missing a shot, and they connected on 17 of their final 19 field goal attempts. Quite an offensive display for a team that entered the game shooting 45% from floor.

Creighton injury

Bluejays reserve Fedor Zugic injured his right ankle with 11:23 left in the first half and had to be helped off the court toward the locker room. He didn’t return.

Key stat

Creighton, which entered shooting 74% on free throws, missed six of its first eight from the line and finished 8 for 16.

Up next

Creighton: Headed to its fifth straight NCAA Tournament when the brackets are revealed Sunday.

St. John’s: Hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game in 25 years. Pitino and the streaking Red Storm seem likely to receive a No. 2 seed Sunday.

Topics

No. 6 St. John's beats Creighton 82-66 for 1st Big East Tournament crown in 25 years

RJ Luis Jr. scored all but two of his 29 points after halftime and No. 6 St. John's made 14 straight shots from the field in the second half to beat Creighton 82-66 on Saturday night for its first ...
Yahoo Sports - 8h
St. John's wins first Big East tourney since '00

The No. 1 seed coming into the tournament played like it all week at Madison Square Garden, as coach Rick Pitino and his St. John's Red Storm secured their first Big East title since 2000, and will ...
ESPN - 3h
St. John’s wins first Big East Tournament since 2000 with second-half surge vs. Creighton

NEW YORK — The last time St. John’s won the Big East Tournament, RJ Luis Jr. wasn’t born yet. Neither were Zuby Ejiofor or Kadary Richmond. Rick Pitino was coaching the Boston Celtics — a job he ...
Yahoo Sports - 8h
St. John's uses dominant second-half to take down Creighton for first Big East title since 2000

RJ Luis Jr. scored all but two of his 29 points after halftime and No. 6 St. John’s made 14 straight shots from the field in the second half to beat Creighton 82-66 on Saturday night for its first ...
Yahoo Sports - 8h
Ejiofor powers No. 6 St. John's past No. 25 Marquette 79-63 into 1st Big East final since 2000

Zuby Ejiofor scored a career-high 33 points, a St. John's record in the Big East Tournament, and the sixth-ranked Red Storm pulled away from No. 25 Marquette 79-63 on Friday night to reach the ...
Yahoo Sports - 1d
Big East tournament bracket, schedule: Rick Pitino, St. John's look to fend off Dan Hurley, UConn at Madison Square Garden

St. John's picked up its first conference title in decades this season while UConn stumbled to the finish line.
Yahoo Sports - 6d
Harvard wins Ivy Tournament beating Columbia 74-71 to earn first NCAA Tournament bid since 2007

Harmoni Turner scored 24 points and Harvard beat Columbia 74-71 on Saturday to win the Ivy League Tournament for the first time in school history. Harvard led by five with 17.6 seconds left before ...
Yahoo Sports - 9h
2025 March Madness: Conference tournament scores, automatic bids, tickets punched to Big Dance, brackets

With Selection Sunday here, check out the the teams who have earned AQ bids to the NCAA Tournament
CBS Sports - 3h
Ejiofor powers No. 6 St. John’s past No. 25 Marquette 79-63 into 1st Big East final since 2000

Zuby Ejiofor scored a career-high 33 points, a St. John’s record in the Big East Tournament, and the sixth-ranked Red Storm pulled away from No. 25 Marquette 79-63 on Friday night to reach the ...
Yahoo Sports - 1d

No. 6 St. John’s beats Creighton 82-66 for first Big East Tournament crown in 25 years

Creighton injury

Key stat

Up next

Topics

Related

No. 6 St. John's beats Creighton 82-66 for 1st Big East Tournament crown in 25 years

St. John's wins first Big East tourney since '00

St. John’s wins first Big East Tournament since 2000 with second-half surge vs. Creighton

St. John's uses dominant second-half to take down Creighton for first Big East title since 2000

Ejiofor powers No. 6 St. John's past No. 25 Marquette 79-63 into 1st Big East final since 2000

Big East tournament bracket, schedule: Rick Pitino, St. John's look to fend off Dan Hurley, UConn at Madison Square Garden

Harvard wins Ivy Tournament beating Columbia 74-71 to earn first NCAA Tournament bid since 2007

2025 March Madness: Conference tournament scores, automatic bids, tickets punched to Big Dance, brackets

Ejiofor powers No. 6 St. John’s past No. 25 Marquette 79-63 into 1st Big East final since 2000

More from Yahoo Sports

Where Penn State basketball stands in March Madness bracket predictions

Where Alabama basketball stands in March Madness bracket predictions

Steelers fans may be surprised over PFF's recent free agency grades

What channel is Tennessee basketball vs Florida in SEC Tournament on today? Time, TV schedule to watch game

Carabao Cup final predictions – can Newcastle end trophy drought vs Liverpool?

More in Sports

Ronald Acuna Jr. says he'll be more careful this season -- but no one believes him

Tracking NFL free agency: Live updates on every signing, trade, cut and rumor

What do the first two rounds of a perfect draft look like?

Where Penn State basketball stands in March Madness bracket predictions

Where Alabama basketball stands in March Madness bracket predictions