KEY POINTS
- No. 6 UConn delivered a historic 72-40 rout of No. 15 St. John’s to reclaim first place in the Big East.
- The Huskies held the Red Storm to just 20% shooting, the lowest ever for a Rick Pitino-coached St. John’s squad.
- Senior center Tarris Reed Jr. dominated with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks in the lopsided victory.
The sixth-ranked UConn Huskies reasserted their dominance in the Big East on Wednesday night with a 72-40 thrashing of No. 15 St. John’s. Played before a raucous sellout crowd at PeoplesBank Arena, the contest was billed as a high-stakes battle for conference supremacy. Instead, the Huskies dismantled their rivals from the opening tip, snapping the Red Storm’s impressive 13-game winning streak. The 32-point margin of victory marked the largest win for UConn in the long-standing history of the series.
UConn’s defensive performance was nothing short of historic. They held St. John’s to a staggering 11-of-56 shooting performance from the field. The Red Storm particularly struggled in the second half, missing their final 24 field goal attempts over the last 17 minutes of the game. It was the fewest points a Rick Pitino-coached team has scored in over a decade. The Huskies’ length and physicality at the rim essentially neutralized the high-octane offense that had fueled St. John’s recent surge.
Tarris Reed Jr. led the way for the Huskies with a career-defining performance in the paint. The senior center tallied a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds while tying his career high with six blocked shots. Reed was instrumental in limiting St. John’s star Zuby Ejiofor to just six points, a significant drop from his season average. Head coach Dan Hurley praised Reed’s intensity, noting that his presence as a rim protector set the tone for the entire team.
The Huskies also received significant contributions from veteran forward Alex Karaban. Playing his final game in Hartford, Karaban finished with 14 points and five rebounds, extending his remarkable career record in the city to 31-1. Solo Ball added 11 points and four assists, helping fuel an 18-0 run in the first half that effectively ended the contest early. UConn dominated the interior scoring, outpointing the Red Storm 42-12 in the paint.
St. John’s entered the matchup as the hottest team in the conference but looked completely outmatched by UConn’s defensive rotations. Joson Sanon provided a brief spark with 10 first-half points, but he was unable to find his rhythm after the break. The loss drops the Red Storm a half-game behind UConn in the Big East standings with only a few games remaining in the regular season. Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino credited UConn’s preparation and energy for the lopsided result.
With this win, UConn avenges an earlier season loss to the Red Storm at Madison Square Garden. The victory also secures a perfect home record in Hartford for the third consecutive year. The Huskies now turn their attention to a Saturday matchup against Seton Hall as they look to clinch the regular-season title. St. John’s will attempt to bounce back against Villanova as they fight to maintain a top-four seed for the upcoming conference tournament.
