INDIANAPOLIS – RJ Luis Jr. scored 24 points and No. 7 St. John’s clinched a share of its first Big East regular-season title in 33 years by beating Butler 76-70 on Wednesday night.
Kadary Richmond had 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Red Storm (25-4, 16-2), who set a school record for conference wins and secured the program’s sixth Big East regular-season championship.
They can wrap up an outright league crown Saturday with a victory over Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden or a Creighton loss at Xavier. The only outright Big East regular-season title for St. John’s came in 1985 on the way to a Final Four appearance.
“We are not interested in sharing anything,” said 72-year-old Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, who has led a remarkable turnaround in two seasons at St. John’s. “I’ll share other things in my life. I’m not interested in sharing championships.”
Zuby Ejiofor added 12 points for the Johnnies, playing with their highest ranking in the AP Top 25 poll since December 1991. St. John’s tied Georgetown and Seton Hall for the Big East crown that season — the final one in Queens for coaching great Lou Carnesecca, who died Nov. 30 just a few weeks shy of his 100th birthday.
Jahmyl Telfort had 13 points and seven rebounds for Butler (13-15, 6-11), held to 39% shooting.
Takeaways
St. John’s: On a night when the Red Storm struggled to create separation, they still showed their postseason potential by applying their customary defensive pressure. Butler shot 6 for 27 from 3-point range.
Butler: Has lost the last five meetings with St. John’s.
Key moment
With the majority of the Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd on its feet, Ejiofor posted up 7-foot-1 Butler center Andre Screen and scored on a left-handed hook shot to extend the St. John’s lead to 70-66 with 59 seconds remaining. When the Bulldogs turned the ball over on their ensuing possession and committed a foul, fans began streaming toward the exits.
Key stat
Butler held a 39-32 edge on the boards but was still outscored 18-12 in second-chance points.
Up next
St. John’s hosts Seton Hall on Saturday, while Butler visits Villanova.
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