Richmond and Luis lead No. 12 St. John’s to a 68-62 Victory over UConn
On Friday night, John’s defeated No. 19 UConn 68-62 in a thrilling comeback to extend its winning streak to ten games. John’s, which defeated No. 19 UConn 68-62 at Storrs, Connecticut, after overcoming a 14-point hole in the first half.
Luis ended with seven rebounds and a game-high 21 points for St. John’s. Richmond led the Red Storm (21-3, 12-1 Big East) to their tenth consecutive victory after halftime, scoring all 12 of his points and dishing out six rebounds and six assists.
UConn’s Liam McNeeley scored 18 points (16-7, 8-4). Tarris Reed Jr. scored 12 points and pulled down 15 rebounds, while Solo Ball scored 13 points.
Liam McNeeley scored 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Huskies (16-7, 8-4), after missing the previous eight games due to an ankle ailment. Solo Ball contributed 13 points and Tarris Reed Jr. combined for 12 points and 15 rebounds, ending UConn’s two-game winning streak.
With eight points apiece from Ball and Stewart, UConn stormed out to an early 21-8 lead. Deivon Smith made a four-pointer to start an 8-0 run for St. John’s, with the Huskies leading by 14. With 2:29 remaining in the first half, Wilcher’s basket gave the Red Storm their first lead.
At the half, St. John’s had a 37–35 lead
At halftime, Ben Gordon, who was a member of a national championship team during his junior season and played for the Huskies from 2001 to 2004, was inducted into the Huskies of Honour.
St. John’s: Despite missing 11 consecutive shots during a stretch in the second half, the Red Storm prevailed.
With 11 points apiece from Zuby Ejiofor and Simeon Wilcher, St. John’s ended a four-game losing streak against UConn.
Following a season-high 25 turnovers in their victory over then-No. 9 Marquette last Saturday, the Huskies committed 22 turnovers in a single game.
With 39 seconds remaining, McNeeley made two free throws to help UConn trim an eight-point deficit to 64-62. Luis drained a jumper off the inbounds pass to give the visitors a four-point lead after Ball blocked Wilcher’s attempt with 13 seconds remaining, but the ball sailed out of bounds.
Ejiofor made two free throws to give the Red Storm the victory after McNeeley missed a layup at the other end.
At 11:38 in the first half, Ball scored 11 points in a short period of time, and Jaylin Stewart added eight more to give the Huskies a 26–12 advantage. The Red Storm led by two points at the half as St. John’s came back with a 25-9 run.
With 39 seconds remaining, McNeeley made two free throws to help UConn trim an eight-point deficit to 64-62. Luis drained a jumper off the inbounds pass to give the visitors a four-point lead after Ball blocked Wilcher’s attempt with 13 seconds remaining, but the ball sailed out of bounds.
Ejiofor made two free throws to give the Red Storm the victory after McNeeley missed a layup at the other end.
At 11:38 in the first half, Ball scored 11 points in a short period of time, and Jaylin Stewart added eight more to give the Huskies a 26–12 advantage. The Red Storm led by two points at the half as St. John’s came back with a 25-9 run.
Richmond scored eight points during St. John’s quick 12-0 run to take the lead 60-52 with 3:11 remaining.
Key Takeaways
St. John’s: Despite missing 11 consecutive shots during a stretch in the second half, the Red Storm prevailed.
UConn: After combining for 22 points in the first half, Ball and Jaylin Stewart had strong shooting starts but were unable to score in the second half.
Crucial moment
Richmond made two baskets in a 6-0 run to grab the lead with UConn ahead by four points. Twelve consecutive points would be scored by the Red Storm.
Important statistic
St. John’s scored 18 of the 20 points that were scored off turnovers.
Next up
On Wednesday, St. John’s will play at Villanova.
UConn: Tuesday at Creighton.
