St. John’s downs No. 3 UConn, ends Huskies’ 18-game win streak

NEW YORK — After more than five decades of coaching, it’s hard to truly impress Rick Pitino. But after notching his biggest regular season win since arriving at St. John’s, the Hall of Fame coach made a strong proclamation about this Red Storm team.

“This is the best group of people, character-wise, that I’ve coached,” Pitino said. “In my 52 years. There’s not a single guy who doesn’t give me his all.”

No. 22 St. John’s earned its first notable victory of the season Friday night, knocking off No. 3 UConn 81-72 to end the Huskies’ 18-game winning streak in front of an electric crowd at Madison Square Garden. According to ESPN Research, this was Pitino’s first win against a top-5 team since February 1, 2016, meaning he has now guided five different programs to top-10 victories, becoming only the second coach to reach that mark.

The victory also tied Pitino with Roy Williams for third place in Division I history with 903 career wins.

“This is as tough a game as we’ve had to play this year,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said.

St. John’s strategy was evident from the opening minutes. After UConn big man Tarris Reed Jr. went to the bench with a six-point lead six minutes into the game, the Red Storm were finally able to find an offensive rhythm thanks to Big East Preseason Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor. Ejiofor immediately scored his first basket, drove to the free throw line on the next possession, then assisted a Joson Sanon 3 to cap a 7-0 run that took less than a minute and gave the Red Storm the lead.

UConn would only regain the lead three times the rest of the game and never by more than two points.

The Red Storm have leaned more and more into an identity of toughness and physicality as the season has progressed, and Friday night was no different. They consistently looked to overpower UConn in the paint, outscoring the Huskies in that area 42-34. They grabbed nine offensive rebounds and turned them into 16 second-chance points. And they got to the foul line 31 times, compared to 12 free throw attempts for the Huskies.

Ejiofor (21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists), Dillon Mitchell (15 points, six rebounds) and Bryce Hopkins (14 points, six rebounds) proved too much for UConn’s offensive front line.

“These are grown men,” Hurley said. “Mitchell, Hopkins and Ejiofor, when you have to play them in Big East games, the same way the game will be officiated in conference, they are built for Big East games.”

On the other end of the court, St. John’s full-court pressure constantly created problems for UConn. The Huskies turned the ball over 15 times, leading the Red Storm to 20 points. UConn had issues throughout the game throwing the ball inbounds, coming agonizingly close on several five-second calls. While Silas Demary Jr. was UConn’s best player that night, finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists, he also turned the ball over nine times.

“They probably had 15 times where it could have been a five-second count and we didn’t get the call,” Pitino said. “But it wears you out. A lot of times the benefits of the press are physically, they’re trying to get open for five seconds, it wears you out. And it wears on your rebound, it wears on your pass.”

Despite the outstanding play from the frontcourt, the unsung hero of the night was former Idaho State transfer Dylan Darling. Darling’s role has fluctuated throughout the season, and after a scoreless first half in which he played just five minutes, it didn’t seem like Friday was going to be a standout performance. But the 6-foot-1 backup point guard was a catalyst in the second half, posting nine points, two assists and a steal after halftime.

Darling generated momentum early in the second half when he stole the ball from Demary and made two massive baskets later in the half – including a 3-pointer with 3:13 left that pushed the Red Storm lead to five points.

“This is the best group of people, character-wise, that I’ve coached. In my 52 years. There’s not one guy that doesn’t give me his all.”

St. John’s coach Rick Pitino

“It’s a tough adjustment to go from where he was to this level. It takes time,” Pitino said. “His desire to take control of a game is incredible to me. … It’s truly incredible what he’s doing right now.”

St. John’s has now won nine straight after a 9-5 start, and the Red Storm is tied in the loss column with UConn atop the Big East. The rematch is scheduled for Feb. 25 in Hartford, and they’re likely on a collision course for a third game in the Big East tournament championship game.

But on Friday, St. John’s protected its home field — a field sometimes called “Storrs South” because of the way UConn fans invade Madison Square Garden when the Huskies are in town. This time, there was no doubt which fan base had the advantage.

“The garden was as beautiful as I’ve seen it,” Pitino said. “I thought it was amazing, how good the garden was. I said 70/30, 60/40 — it was 90/10. Huge crowd.”