Zuby Ejiofor finished a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double with a second-chance make in the paint as time expired, lifting visiting St. John’s to a 72-70 win over Providence in Big East action on Friday night.The Red Storm (10-2, 2-0), who have won five in a row, overcame a 42-29 halftime deficit and earned the victory despite shooting 39.7 percent from the field and going only 11-of-26 from the foul line.Deivon Smith had 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting and added four assists, while RJ Luis Jr. posted 16 points and Kadary Richmond 10 for St. John’s.A frantic final 35 seconds saw Smith’s jumper following an out-of-bound entry give the visitors a 70-67 lead before Providence tied the game on a Bensley Joseph three with 20 ticks to go.Joseph led the Friars (7-6, 1-1) with 17 points (12 in the first half), three 3-pointers, eight rebounds and a pair of assists. Providence has lost three of its last four.Fourteen second-chance points and nine offensive rebounds after halftime were crucial for the Johnnies.Providence got the first second-half basket from Anton Bonke inside, but Ejiofor’s three-point play punctuated a 7-0 St. John’s run that cut the buffer to eight.Soon after, a Joseph layup got the Friars lead back to nine, and Ryan Mela hit a pair of clutch answering baskets to make it 56-49 with 10:49 to go before the visitors made their biggest push.An 11-2 spurt in 3:10 flipped the score for the first time since 16-15, bookended by a Luis putback falling away, Ejiofor’s two free throws and a second-chance layup.
Zuby Ejiofor’s buzzer-beater lifts St. John’s over Providence
By
/