No. 2 UConn demolished by No. 1 St. John’s in Big East Tournament Championship

NEW YORK (WFSB) - It seemed inevitable that the top two teams in the Big East Conference would meet in the tournament championship.

No. 1 St. John’s crushed No. 2 UConn Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The final was 72-52.

Tarris Reed Jr. was the highpoint man for the Huskies with 17. Everyone else was held to single digits.

Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins put in 18 apiece for the Red Storm.

How it played out

St. John’s hit UConn with a 10-0 haymaker to open the game.

The Huskies didn’t score their first bucket until the 15:55 mark of the first half.

The game was so physical that UConn coach Dan Hurley’s complaints about it earned him a technical foul with 12:34 to go until halftime. At that point, it was 19-9 St. John’s.

The Red Storm blitz continued and forced UConn to call a time out with 11:33 left in the half. They led 23-9.

At the halfway point of the half, the UConn fans chimed in with chants hoping to get their team going.

St. John’s continued to lead 28-16 with 9:26 left.

The Red Storm overwhelmed the Huskies with a 7-0 run before a Jayden Ross 3, but St. John’s continued to lead 32-19.

St. John’s got their largest lead of the night so far at the 4:29 mark, 36-19.

UConn understood the urgency and hit back to get the lead down to 13, 36-23 with 3:13 left.

At the half, it was still all Red Storm 40-27. Their largest lead of the half was 17.

Hurley cited turnovers as the reason they were down.

St. John’s flirted with a 20 point lead early in the second half, but UConn stayed within striking distance. It was 47-36 with 15:55 left in the game.

A Solo Ball drive that resulted in a goaltend got the Huskies within 9 with 15:32 to go. However, St. John’s challenged the call and won, so the lead went back to 11.

Reed got them to within 9 for real at the 14:00 mark.

Reed scored again to get the Huskies within 7 and forced the Red Storm to call a timeout with 12:24 to go.

Ever time the Huskies pushed, however, the Red Storm had an answer. It was 54-42 at the 11:38 mark.

It was a 10 point game with 7:36 to go.

During a timeout, Hurley implored the team to chip away.

Ejiofor broke a Big East Tournament record at the 5 minute mark with his 7th block.

St. John’s started to break away with 3:27 to go, 69-49. The team never looked back.

The road to the championship

The Huskies defeated No. 11 Georgetown on Friday night, 67-51, to earn their berth in the title game.

Before that semifinal game, the Red Storm took out Seton Hall 78-68 to secure their spot.

St. John’s defeated UConn in the teams’ first go-around on Feb. 6, 81-72.

The Huskies routed them in their second matchup on Feb. 25, 72-40.

What’s next

UConn may be looking at a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Selection Sunday is March 15 at 6 p.m.

The show airs on Channel 3.

Stay with Channel 3 for continuing coverage of UConn’s post-season.