For the primary time in a quarter-century, St. John’s is headed to the Large East Match closing.
It took an all-time efficiency from Zuby Ejiofor to get there.
High-seeded St. John’s rallied from an early 15-point deficit to beat the fifth-seeded Golden Eagles, 79-63, in Friday evening’s semifinal spherical at Madison Sq. Backyard.
St. John’s (29-4) will face the winner of UConn vs. Creighton in Saturday evening’s championship recreation.
On the coronary heart of Friday’s comeback was Ejiofor, who erupted for a career-high 33 factors on 11-of-15 taking pictures and 9 rebounds.
The junior ahead was one in all three gamers within the recreation who made the All-Large East first group, together with teammate RJ Luis Jr. and Marquette’s Kam Jones.
Ejiofor was the one one of many three not named a semifinalist for Naismith Faculty Participant of the Yr, however he definitely loomed the most important in Friday’s win.
His 33 factors had been essentially the most ever by a St. John’s participant in a Large East Match recreation.
His excellence helped carry No. 6 St. John’s on an evening Luis, the Large East Participant of the Yr, shot simply 4-of-18 from the sector for 13 factors.
The win was the Pink Storm’s third of the 12 months in opposition to Marquette, whom they’d simply outlasted, 86-84 in additional time, in an instant-classic slugfest in final Saturday’s regular-season finale. Ejiofor capped that victory with a buzzer-beating, game-winning floater.
However the Johnnies’ storybook season seemed to be in critical jeopardy of a actuality verify Friday after they fell behind, 24-9, on the 12:42 mark of the opening half.
Fueling that sizzling begin was Jones, who scored 10 factors over 4 consecutive possessions within the recreation’s first 4 minutes.
However St. John’s got here roaring again.
Aaron Scott nailed a 3-pointer. On the subsequent possession, Luis transformed an and-1 on a driving lay-up. Ejiofor added a lay-up to cap an 8-0 run.
That proved to be simply the beginning of a bigger 22-7 run by St. John’s, culminating in a Deivon Smith 3-pointer that tied the sport, 31-31, with 5:11 left earlier than halftime.
St. John’s would take its first lead just below 4 minutes later when one other Ejiofor lay-up put the Pink Storm up, 35-33.
Nonetheless, Marquette took a 37-35 lead into halftime, with Jones main all scorers to that time with 15 factors.
However the second half was all St. John’s.
The Johnnies took the lead on the 16:23 mark of the second half when Luis made a lay-up, kicking off an 11-1 run.
Ejiofor scored 23 factors within the second half, throughout which St. John’s outscored No. 25 Marquette, 44-26.
He checked out with 5.6 seconds remaining to chants of “Zuuuuu” from a sell-out crowd.
Jones completed with 24 factors on 10-of-22 taking pictures.
St. John’s superior to the Large East Match semifinal with Thursday afternoon’s 78-57 demolition of ninth-seeded Butler, a recreation wherein the Pink Storm by no means trailed. Marquette, in the meantime, overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat Xavier, 89-87, in Thursday’s quarterfinal.
The Johnnies at the moment are again within the Large East Match closing for the primary time since 2000, which is the final 12 months they received it.
