The St. John’s men’s basketball team, ranked No. 25, lost to Providence 77-71 on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in front of 19,047 spectators.
St. John’s led for over 36 minutes and held a double-digit advantage late in the game. However, Providence finished with a strong 14-3 run, highlighted by Stefan Vaaks’ go-ahead three-pointer with under two minutes left.
Zuby Ejiofor had a standout performance for St. John’s, tying his career high with 33 points and setting a personal best with 15 rebounds—11 of them offensive. He became the first St. John’s player since Julian Champagnie in January 2022 to record at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a game. Ejiofor is also only the second NCAA Division I player this season to reach those numbers, joining Texas Southern’s Troy Hupstead.
Ejiofor matched the highest single-game offensive rebounding total nationally this season and made a career-high 14 free throws on 23 attempts—the second most free throw attempts in program history behind Marcus Hatten’s record from February 2002. He drew 16 fouls during the contest.
Bryce Hopkins contributed nine points and secured a season-high ten rebounds for St. John’s for the second consecutive game.
Providence saw five players score in double figures, led by Vaaks with 16 points and an efficient showing from beyond the arc.
St. John’s started strong as Ejiofor hit back-to-back three-pointers followed by plays from Ian Jackson and Hopkins that built an early 13-0 lead while holding Providence scoreless for over four minutes.
Providence responded later in the first half to narrow the gap before taking their first lead with just under six minutes left before halftime. Oziyah Sellers helped St. John’s regain momentum, and they entered halftime ahead 38-31 after contributions from Lefteris Liotopoulos and more scoring from Ejiofor.
The Friars opened the second half with five quick points but St. John’s responded through Joson Sanon and Liotopoulos to restore their cushion. Midway through the half, Hopkins scored twice inside to extend St. John’s lead back to double digits.
Providence then mounted another comeback, closing within one point before Vaaks’ key plays put them ahead late in the game. Despite efforts from Jackson at the free throw line and Sellers on offense, St. John’s could not retake control as Providence closed out the win.
This was the eighth consecutive meeting between these teams decided by six points or fewer.
St. John’s next game is scheduled against Butler on Tuesday at 7 p.m., broadcast on NBC Sports Network and Peacock.
