NEW YORK — Whatever subplots remained between Providence and St. John’s couldn’t change the expected outcome Thursday afternoon.
The top seed advanced in the opening quarterfinal of the Big East Tournament, with the Friars closing out a second straight disappointing season.
The Red Storm started in dominant fashion, wobbled a bit in the second half and eventually restored order. There was no fighting and minimal trash talk in front of a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden, one that saw Zuby Ejiofor show why he was named the league’s Player of the Year.
St. John’s ultimately pulled away for an 85-72 triumph on March 12, one that avenged a stunning defeat against Providence on this same floor in early January. The two programs have traveled divergent paths since that Saturday afternoon — the Red Storm winning the conference and bound for the NCAA Tournament, the Friars entering an offseason of uncertainty from the top of their coaching staff down.
Providence managed a mild threat midway through the second half on a Ryan Mela layup and a deep Stefan Vaaks 3-pointer that beat the shot clock. The Friars shaved 10 points off their halftime deficit to 59-48 but couldn’t extend the push. Ruben Prey’s offensive rebound and three-point play, a 10-second violation by Providence and a corner 3-pointer from Oziyah Sellers with 9:08 left served as the knockout sequence.
That jumper gave St. John’s a 71-53 lead, and the Friars were unable to rally further despite 12-for-19 shooting out of the locker room and just one miss on five 3-point attempts. The Red Storm controlled the paint at both ends to the tune of a 46-36 scoring margin and a 51-30 advantage on the glass. Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins both collected double-doubles before checking out together with 4:43 to play.
Providence (15-18) never really got going in this one and a slow start similar to what the Friars overcame in a victory against Butler was punished. St. John’s held a quick 7-0 lead after an Ejiofor slam and Providence called timeout after just 3:07. The Friars went without a field goal for the opening 5:56, missing their first six shots and turning it over three times.
The Red Storm (26-6) continued to extend the lead throughout the half, with Hopkins doing some damage against his former team. He threw down a right-hand dunk in transition over Oswin Erhunmwunse and buried a following 3-pointer from the left wing inside the final 5:04. Prey followed with a hook in the lane and St. John’s had its largest advantage at 46-23.
Providence connected 14 times from beyond the arc the previous day in an opening 91-81 win over Butler, climbing out of an early 16-point hole. The Friars were shut out from deep in the opening half by the Red Storm, going 0-for-5 into the locker room. Vaaks caught fire over the final 20 minutes, pouring in 19 of his game-high 23 points.
It’s the first time Providence has endured consecutive sub-.500 seasons since Keno Davis staggered through the final two years of his tenure and Ed Cooley rebuilt in his debut. The Friars were back in the NCAA Tournament by the time Cooley closed his third campaign in 2013-14, the first of what became five straight trips. This current three-year drought is the longest for the program since missing out from 2004-05 to 2012-13.
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: St. John’s beats Providence basketball 85-72 at Big East Tournament