Ejiofor's buzzer-beater in OT gives No. 6 St. John's an 86-84 win over No. 20 Marquette
St. John's's Zuby Ejiofor makes the game-winning shot in overtime of an NCAA college basketball game against Marquette Saturday, March 8, 2025, in Milwaukee. Credit: AP/Morry Gash
MILWAUKEE — Zuby Ejiofor hit a tiebreaking shot at the buzzer, Kadary Richmond got the first St. John’s triple-double this century and the sixth-ranked Red Storm beat No. 20 Marquette 86-84 in overtime Saturday for their sixth consecutive victory.
St. John’s (27-4, 18-2 Big East) matched a program record for regular-season wins. The Johnnies went 27-4 in 1985-86 and ended up finishing 31-5 that year. They already had clinched their first Big East outright regular-season title since 1985 a week earlier.
After Marquette’s Kam Jones converted a game-tying driving layup with 26.4 seconds left, RJ Luis Jr. missed a 3-pointer for St. John’s. Marquette’s Chase Ross initially got the rebound, but Richmond knocked the ball out of his hands and it went to Simeon Wilcher.
Wilcher got the ball to Ejiofor, who hit a shot in the paint just before the horn sounded.
Luis had 28 points and 11 rebounds, while Ejiofor had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Richmond finished with 10 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds.
Richmond's triple-double was the first for St. John's since Ron Artest had 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists against Seton Hall on Jan. 9, 1999.
Jones had 32 points and David Joplin scored 21 for Marquette (22-9, 13-7).
Marquette's Kam Jones tries to get past St. John's's Zuby Ejiofor during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Mar. 8, 2025, in Milwaukee. Credit: AP/Morry Gash
Takeaways
St. John's: The Red Storm won even without having starting guard Deivon Smith due to a shoulder issue.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles enter the postseason having gone 4-6 since the start of February.
Key moment
Luis scored in the paint with 10.7 seconds left in regulation to force the extra session. Marquette’s Ben Gold missed a potential game-winner in the closing seconds of regulation.
Key stats
St. John's outscored Marquette 27-10 in second-chance points. Marquette went 12 of 22 on free-throw attempts.
St. John's's Zuby Ejiofor fouls Marquette's Chase Ross during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March 8, 2025, in Milwaukee. Credit: AP/Morry Gash
Up next
St. John's is the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament and faces either Providence or Butler in Thursday's quarterfinals. Marquette is seeded fifth and plays Xavier on Thursday.
