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MILWAUKEE — RJ Luis Jr.’s shot was long. 

Well long. 

And it landed right in the hands of Marquette guard Chase Ross. 

Then, St. John’s went to work, refusing to give up on the play like it never gives up on a game. 

There were still 3.4 seconds left. 

ZUBY EJIOFOR AT THE BUZZER FOR THE WIN! 😱

What a play for @StJohnsBBall! pic.twitter.com/u56srak7pE

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 8, 2025

Kadary Richmond tipped the ball out of Ross’ hands.

The carom went to Simeon Wilcher.

The sophomore took a dribble and fed Zuby Ejiofor.

He quickly caught it and released it in one motion.

The horn sounded as the ball softly dropped in the net. 

The sixth-ranked Johnnies and Ejiofor had done it again. Despite nothing to gain in Big East Tournament seeding.

Despite that nagging shoulder injury keeping key guard Deivon Smith out.

Despite a sold-out crowd of 17,983 on Marquette Senior Day. 

“Our entire thing is to do whatever it takes to win,” Ejiofor said after this dramatic 86-84 overtime win over No. 20 Marquette at Fiserv Forum Saturday afternoon. “It doesn’t always look pretty every single night, and it doesn’t matter. We fight through adversity, we’re a gritty team.” 

Ejiofor ran to the other side of the court, and pulled a Steph Curry, waving goodbye to the Marquette fans after mockingly putting them to bed.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST BIG EAST STANDINGS AND ST. JOHN’S STATS

His second buzzer-beater was better than his first, which came before this season turned so magical, on Dec. 20 at Providence. 

“Same shot,” the junior said with a smile. 

The Red Storm can now dream of a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament after their 16th win in 17 games and fourth Quad 1 victory.

They finished the regular season 18-2 in Big East play, equaling a conference record Connecticut set last year for most league wins in a season.

They also matched a program regular-season record with 27 victories. 

“There’s not a whole lot to say, except, ‘Wow,’ ” coach Rick Pitino said. “We had a very difficult time switching onto Kam Jones and couldn’t guard his left hand. Outside of that, we played a terrific, gritty game, as we always do. It’s a helluva win, probably my favorite win of the season by far.” 

It was a memorable cap to a memorable regular season. Luis added to his Big East Player of the Year candidacy by scoring 24 of his team-high 28 points after halftime, including seven in the extra session, along with 11 rebounds.

Richmond notched St. John’s first triple-double since Ron Artest (now Metta Sandiford-Artest) in 1999, finishing with 10 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals in 42 minutes. Ejiofor (17 points, 12 rebounds) was a beast in the paint and Wilcher added 13 points and three assists. 

For so much of the day, it felt like St. John’s (27-4, 18-2) would come up short. Jones was nearly unstoppable, scoring 32 points.

Whenever the Johnnies seemed ready to take command, Jones was there with an answer.

A six-point lead late in regulation vanished. Marquette (22-9, 13-7) was up one with the ball after an Ejiofor turnover and under a half-minute left on the clock.

Luis, however, forced overtime with a basket inside. Jones did it again in overtime, pulling Marquette even with 25.4 seconds remaining after the Johnnies had led by four. 

But St. John’s had the ball last, and made the most of that opportunity by doing what it does best — hitting the offensive glass, scrapping for a loose ball for its 26th and 27th second-chance points of the game. 

There was some thought that Pitino might take his foot off the gas, since his team had already clinched the regular-season title and a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. He had other ideas. 

“I told them, ‘You’re one-and-done, you lose this game, the season’s over,’ ” Pitino said. “That’s the way you gotta play to prepare for March Madness. You don’t just show up in March and say, ‘OK, this is what we are going to do.’ You prepare for it now, you prepare for it at the Big East Tournament. They did a fabulous job, just a tough-ass team. Toughness like you can’t believe.” 

In typical St. John’s fashion, the players were critical of their miscues and looking ahead to the next challenge.

They were happy, but not satisfied, a hallmark of this team. Ejiofor and Luis felt the Red Storm struggled containing Marquette off the dribble, a point of emphasis entering the game. 

“We’re going to go back, we’re going to fix those little mistakes,” Luis said, “and we’re going to get ready for the Big East Tournament, because we want to win that, too.”