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03/14 20:21 CDT Ejiofor leads No. 13 St. John's to 72-52 rout of No. 6 UConn for 2nd straight Big East tourney title Ejiofor leads No. 13 St. John's to 72-52 rout of No. 6 UConn for 2nd straight Big East tourney title By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) --- Zuby Ejiofor had seven blocks, nine rebounds and three steals to anchor a tenacious defensive performance that carried No. 13 St. John's to its second straight Big East Tournament championship Saturday night with a 72-52 blowout of sixth-ranked UConn at Madison Square Garden. Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins each scored 18 points for the top-seeded Red Storm (28-6), who became the first team to win consecutive Big East Tournament titles since Villanova took three in a row from 2017-19. Adding to their resurgent rise under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, the Johnnies joined UConn in 1998 and '99 as the only Big East programs to win both the regular-season and tournament crowns in back-to-back years. Oziyah Sellers scored 14 points for St. John's, which never trailed in the tournament and has won all six of its games in this event by double digits the past two years. The Johnnies opened a 17-point cushion in the first half and took two of three meetings this season between the conference powerhouses. The second-seeded Huskies (29-5) were held nine points below their previous season low. Tarris Reed Jr. scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half for UConn. Point guard Silas Demary Jr. was helped off the floor late with an apparent left ankle injury, which could be costly heading into the NCAA Tournament. With their own fans in a split crowd roaring at The Garden, the Red Storm ran out to a 10-0 lead and went into the break with a 40-27 advantage. It was the largest halftime deficit this season for the Huskies, who committed 11 turnovers and shot 36% from the field in the opening 20 minutes. St. John's extended the margin to 18 early in the second half before the Huskies responded with a 13-2 spurt that trimmed the gap to 49-42 with 12:34 left. But that was as close as they got. After a timeout by Pitino, Hopkins hit a jumper and Ejiofor drained a 3-pointer before scoring in the post. Dylan Darling later scored six straight points, and the Red Storm won going away. It was the third time UConn and St. John's squared off for the Big East Tournament title, after splitting matchups in 1999 and 2000. And this marked the first time the championship game featured two of the conference's seven charter members since the Johnnies beat the Huskies 80-70 in that 2000 game. Hot-tempered UConn coach Dan Hurley was whistled for a technical foul 7:26 into the game after stamping his feet loudly on the sideline, apparently wanting a foul called as Demary made a reverse layup.

Up next UConn figures to be a high seed in its sixth straight NCAA Tournament, which will set a program record. St. John's is headed to consecutive NCAA Tournaments for the first time since making three straight from 1998-2000. It will be Pitino's 25th appearance, with six schools. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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