St. John's Fends Off Xavier In Overtime, Extending Win Streak to 10 Games

The No. 17 ranked St. John's Red Storm secured their 10th consecutive victory on Monday night after outlasting Xavier 87-82 in an overtime thriller at Madison Square Garden to keep pace at the top of the Big East standings. The high-stakes matchup served as a significant milestone for Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, who moved into third place on the all-time Division I wins list while defeating his son, Xavier's first-year head coach Richard Pitino, for the second time in just over two weeks. The victory was essential for the 'Johnnies,' as it allowed them to tie No. 6 UConn for the conference lead following a grueling stretch of play. Zuby Ejiofor was the standout performer for the Red Storm, recording 25 points, including six critical points in the overtime period to seal the win. St. John's demonstrated remarkable resilience late in regulation when Oziyah Sellers tipped in his own missed shot with just 16 seconds remaining to tie the game at 78. Xavier had a chance to win at the buzzer, but the Big East’s leading scorer, Tre Carroll, missed a contested three-point attempt. The contest was characterized by physical play and frequent whistles, resulting in St. John's attempting 41 free throws—their highest number in over a decade—and converting 28 of them to maintain their narrow lead. Beyond individual performances, the game carried deep historical weight for Rick Pitino, whose 904th career victory allowed him to surpass Roy Williams in the record books. He now trails only Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim in total career wins. For Xavier, the loss marks a difficult period in their season, having dropped five of their last six games despite a strong 21-point effort from Carroll. The Musketeers fought through seven lead changes in the first half alone, but ultimately could not overcome the depth of St. John's, which received significant contributions from Bryce Hopkins and Dylan Darling off the bench.