NEW YORK (AP) — Zubie Ejiofor’s penultimate regular-season home game at St. John’s University was certainly a memorable one.
The senior big man had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple-double, and the 15th-ranked Red Storm bounced back from an embarrassing loss with an 89-57 victory over Villanova on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
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“It means everything to put on this type of show, especially having my family in the crowd,” Ejiofor said.
The 6-foot-9, 245-pound Ejiofor also blocked three shots, the fifth triple-double by a St. John’s player since the 1985-86 season, the school said. It was only the second time in the past 26 years, following Kadary Richmond’s goal in Marquette’s regular-season finale last year.
Ejiofor, the preseason Big East Player of the Year, said this could be his first triple-double in organized basketball.
“It’s unbelievable that five guys on your team can get 10 assists. But he leads the team in assists. And he’s well rested because he had a day off against Connecticut,” Red Storm coach Rick Pitino said at the postgame press conference, drawing laughter.
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St. John’s lost to No. 6 UConn 72-40 on Wednesday night as the Johnnies shot 20 percent from the field and missed their final 24 shots over the final 17 minutes and 27 seconds, their largest loss in three seasons under Pitino.
That ended a 13-game winning streak – the program’s longest streak in 41 years.
In a game that ended quickly in the first half, Ejiofor scored 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 23 minutes. He only took five shots on the court.
It was a different story against Villanova
“You knew Zuby wasn’t going to come out and lay eggs,” Wildcats coach Kevin Willard said. “His defense was outstanding, the way he transitioned, spoke, communicated. You have to give them a lot of credit. They played well.”
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When the sold-out crowd of 19,812 realized Ejiofor needed one more assist to get a triple-double, he passed to Joson Sanon for a jumper with 3:12 left to seal the win.
Soon after, Ejiofor was removed to loud applause. He called it a “special moment.”
“The last two possessions, I just played in the flow of the offense,” Ejiofor said.
As St. John’s plays its final regular-season home game against Georgetown at the Garden on Tuesday night, Pitino implored fans to come out and pay tribute to the indomitable Ejiofor on Senior Night.
“I became a man in this program. Coach Pitino has been coaching me through the process for the last three years. Not just the game of basketball, but life in general. I’m really blessed to be able to put this jersey on every night,” said Ejiofor, a backup in his first season at St. John’s after transferring from Kansas.
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“It’s not just basketball, I feel like I’ve grown. I’ve really grown up here the last three years.”
Ian Jackson came off the bench to score 19 points and a career-high five steals for the Red Storm (23-6, 16-2 Big East), who led by 30 points in the first half but remained half a game behind UConn at the top of the conference standings.
The loss marked Villanova’s lowest season since a 93-56 victory over No. 3 Kentucky, then coached by Pitino, in February 1997.
Oziyah Sellers scored 14 points to help the Johnnies overcome their most frequent rival, Villanova. St. John’s led the 1909-1910 series 68-67.
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Duke Brennan scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half for the Wildcats (22-7, 13-5), who have won seven of eight games. They will be the No. 3 seed in the Big East Tournament.
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