The opponent, No. 11 Marquette, was the best team St. John’s had faced all season.
There was pressure, the start of a daunting six-game stretch that includes two games against back-to-back national champion Connecticut, a trip to Villanova and a second meeting with Creighton.
But if you ignored those subplots, there was nothing different about Tuesday night from the other 22 games the Johnnies have played this season.
RJ Luis Jr. (left) is greeted by Kadary Richmond after he hits a 3-pointer during the first half of St. John’s 70-64 win over Marquette on Feb. 4, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostThey shot poorly from the 3-point line and the free-throw line, and it didn’t matter, because they excelled everywhere else. On the defensive end. On the backboards. In the paint.
Marquette was their latest victim.
“This is a very unique team. They defy statistical data, almost every single game,” coach Rick Pitino said after the 12th-ranked Johnnies beat a ranked foe for the first time this year, 70-64 in front of 16,521 at a thunderous Garden. “Their effort level is so incredibly high. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen something like this, effort level-wise. … I’m so full of gratitude to see players play this hard, it’s exciting.”
St. John’s best season in 25 years keeps getting better. Now, it has a trademark win to add to that gaudy record.
A return to the NCAA Tournament is looking more and more likely, especially after this gutty victory. It has now won nine straight games, 15 of 16 and is 20-3 for the first time since the 1985-86 season.
Zuby Ejiofor slams home a dunk in front of Kam Jones during the second half of St. John’s win over Marquette.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostThe win marked the program’s first victory in a Top 15 matchup since 1991.
“We put in a lot of hard work in the preseason,” junior wing RJ Luis said. “You guys can see it now. We’re a very hungry group and we’re very determined to win. … I think we’re having a great season. We have a lot to accomplish yet and guys are hungry, and we’re going to go after it.
“We don’t like to lose,” he added with a smile, “because we don’t like how Coach Pitino gets.”
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It was closer than it should’ve been — the result of St. John’s missing 14 free throws and making only three 3-pointers in 16 attempts — but the Red Storm was yet again the better team in crunch time, as it has been throughout this winning streak and much of this dream season.
St. John’s outscored Marquette 16-9 over the final 5:09, taking the lead for good on two Zuby Ejiofor free throws.
Rick Pitino walks the sidelines during St. John’s win over Marquette. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostWhen Aaron Scott slammed home a Kadary Richmond feed, the lead was seven with 1:38 left and MSG was at a fever itch, “Let’s go Johnnies” chants bouncing off the arena’s walls.
St. John’s (20-3, 11-1) was dominant on the glass, outrebounding Marquette 50-28, and was plus-eight in the paint. Richmond (18 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists), Ejiofor (13 points, 13 rebounds) and Luis (17 points, 11 rebounds) all had double-doubles, and the Johnnies held Marquette (18-5, 9-3) to 29 percent shooting in the second half.
They also forced 10 turnovers, 1.1 over Marquette’s season average, to snap a six-game losing streak to the Golden Eagles.
Big East Player of the Year front-runner Kam Jones scored 15 points on 15 shots for Marquette in 25 foul-plagued minutes.
RJ Luis Jr. goes up for a shot as Ben Gold defends during the second half of St. John’s win over Marquette. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post“I’m so damn proud of this team,” Pitino said.
Afterward, there was a lot of talk about St. John’s continued ability to win ugly, to win despite its shotmaking struggles.
Shaka Smart didn’t sound surprised, describing St. John’s as a team that plays with “incredible violence.” It was a compliment.
“There’s so many different factors that go into winning, and there’s so many different factors that go into losing,” the Marquette coach said. “Shooting is one that people pay a lot of attention to, because it’s so obvious. But if there’s 50 of those factors and shooting is one of them, they’re really good at the other 49.”
In the final seconds of the biggest regular-season victory in what must have felt like an eternity for this win-starved fan base, the giddy student section began a chant of “We Want UConn!”
A jovial Pitino joked that they must have had a few too many drinks.
But soon, St. John’s will get the Huskies, Friday night in Storrs, Conn.
Another challenge awaits this group, though the Johnnies don’t sound satisfied.
“It’s a nice feeling, it’s good to enjoy it,” Richmond said, “but we’re nowhere near done.”
