Sports
St. John’s routs UConn for 2nd straight Big East tourney title
NEW YORK — With another St. John’s championship salted away, Zuby Ejiofor walked slowly to the sideline with seconds remaining, tears trickling down the senior forward’s face as he lowered his 6-foot-9 frame for multiple hugs.
Moments later, in a fitting scene, he and Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino climbed a ladder together to cut down the nets at Madison Square Garden.
No argument anymore about who owns the Big East these days. St. John’s has toppled UConn.
Ejiofor had seven blocks, nine rebounds and three steals to anchor a tenacious defensive performance that carried No. 13 St. John’s to its second straight Big East tournament title Saturday night with a 72-52 blowout of sixth-ranked UConn.
Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins each scored 18 points for the top-seeded Red Storm (28-6), who became the first team to win consecutive Big East tournament titles since Villanova took three in a row from 2017-19.
“What a beautiful moment. What a surreal moment,” Ejiofor said. “We had a target on our backs all year.”
Adding to their resurgent rise under the 73-year-old Pitino, the Johnnies joined UConn in 1998 and ’99 as the only Big East programs to win both the regular-season and tournament crowns in back-to-back seasons.
It was the fifth Big East tournament title in school history and the first time the Johnnies have accomplished the feat in consecutive years. They are 11-1 when seeded No. 1 at MSG, one of their home courts during the regular season.
“This championship means the world to us. It means the world to our fans,” Pitino said during the postgame celebration on the court. “I’m so proud of every one of our players.”
Ejiofor was selected the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, his latest in a string of accolades this week that included Big East Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He’s the first player to win all those awards in the same season.
Oziyah Sellers scored 14 points for St. John’s, which took two of three meetings this season between the two conference powerhouses and turned the tables after an embarrassing 72-40 loss at rival UConn on Feb. 25.
“We never mentioned revenge,” Pitino said.
The dominant Johnnies never trailed in the tournament, either, and won their six games in this event by an average of 16 points the past two years – all by double digits.
In a matchup of the past two Big East Tournament champions, the second-seeded Huskies (29-5) were held nine points below their previous season low. They went the last 8:03 without a field goal, missing 13 straight shots while falling to 1-4 against St. John’s the last two seasons.
UConn remained tied with Georgetown for the most Big East Tournament championships at eight.
“I didn’t crush them in there,” said Dan Hurley, who coached the Huskies to consecutive national championships in 2023 and ’24. “They’re crushed. We laid an egg. We laid an egg in something we desperately wanted to win.”
Banging away with Ejiofor down low in their beefy matchup of All-Big East big men, Tarris Reed Jr. scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half for UConn. Point guard Silas Demary Jr. was helped off the floor late with a left ankle injury, which could be costly heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Hurley said he initially heard the injury was a very mild sprain and hopes “it’s not something that lingers.”
With their fans in a split crowd roaring at The Garden, the Red Storm ran out to a 10-0 lead, built a 17-point cushion late in the first half and went into the break with a 40-27 advantage.
It was the largest halftime deficit this season for the Huskies, who committed 11 turnovers and shot 36% from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
“All credit to St. John’s. They jumped us to start the game,” Hurley said. “St. John’s is built incredibly well to play in this conference.”
St. John’s extended the margin to 18 early in the second half before the Huskies responded with a 13-2 spurt that trimmed the gap to 49-42 with 12:34 left, revving up their own chanting fans. But that was as close as they got.
Thinking his players looked tired, Pitino took a timeout and said he told them: “‘Johnnies don’t fatigue. Johnnies don’t surrender.'”
When play resumed, Hopkins hit a jumper and Ejiofor drained a 3-pointer before scoring in the post. Dylan Darling later scored the first six points of a 13-0 surge down the stretch capped by another 3 from Ejiofor, and the Red Storm won going away.
“We knew they were going to make their runs. But we knew we had to fight back and that’s exactly what we did,” Ejiofor said.
It was the third time UConn and St. John’s squared off for the Big East tournament title, after splitting matchups in 1999 and 2000. And this marked the first time the championship game featured two of the conference’s seven charter members since the Johnnies beat the Huskies 80-70 in that 2000 game.
The hot-tempered Hurley was whistled for a technical foul 7:26 into the game after stamping his feet loudly on the sideline, apparently wanting a foul called as Demary made a reverse layup.
St. John’s scored the first eight points in all three tournament games this week and led for more than 118 of 120 minutes.
Pitino won his 16th conference tournament title, fifth in the Big East after three with Louisville. He is the first Big East coach to win back-to-back at two schools.
“Three straight nights we didn’t relent at all. And that’s great going into the (NCAA) tournament,” Pitino said.
Sri Lanka’s government took control of the island’s cricket board on Wednesday and appointed a nine-member interim administration to carry out “structural reforms”.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is the country’s wealthiest sporting body, but it has been plagued by allegations of corruption and mismanagement.
World governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), suspended Sri Lanka for two months in 2023-2024, citing political interference in the running of the national board.
“All administrative functions of Sri Lanka Cricket will be temporarily brought under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, effective today,” the ministry said.
Shortly afterwards, the ministry appointed former investment banker and opposition politician Eran Wickramaratne to lead the board.
Among the other members appointed by the government are former skipper Kumar Sangakkara and former Test players Sidath Wettimuny and Roshan Mahanama.
The ministry said the interim committee will “address the current issues in cricket and implement structural reforms”.
Four-time SLC president Shammi Silva resigned on Tuesday, along with his entire committee, after the government intervened.
AFP has contacted the ICC for comment.
Sri Lanka made an early exit from the T20 World Cup, which it co-hosted with India in February-March.
Half-centuries from Usman Khan and Maaz Sadaqat, combined with disciplined bowling, powered Hyderabad Kingsmen to an eight-wicket victory over Multan Sultans in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11’s Eliminator 1 on Wednesday.
Kingsmen’s victory in the high-stakes fixture drew curtains on Sultans’ campaign and meant that the new entrants will go on and face three-time champions Islamabad United in the Eliminator 2 at the same venue on Friday in a bid to qualify for the eight-team tournament’s final.
Set to chase a 160-run target, the Kingsmen comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of just two wickets and 28 balls to spare, courtesy of the second-wicket partnership between Usman and Sadaqat.
The Kingsmen, however, had a contrasting start to the pursuit as they lost their captain, Marnus Labuschagne (11), in the second over with 18 runs on the board.
Following the early setback, in-form wicketkeeper batter Usman joined Sadaqat in the middle, and the duo batted dominantly to put together 92 runs for the second wicket.
Usman, who was the core aggressor of the vital stand, was eventually removed by Steve Smith in the 11th over. He walked back after top-scoring for the Kingsmen with a swashbuckling 64 off 35 deliveries, studded with eight fours and three sixes.
Sadaqat was then joined by Saim Ayub in the middle, and the duo batted sensibly to steer the Kingsmen over the line in the 16th over.
The left-handed opener remained the joint top-scorer for the Kingsmen with an unbeaten 64 off 35 deliveries, comprising eight fours and three sixes, while Saim chipped in with a run-a-ball 15 not out.
For Sultans, Ismail and Smith could pick up a wicket apiece.
Put into bat first in the high-stakes fixture, the Sultans finished at 159/9 in their 20 overs, courtesy of Masood.
The Sultans got off to a shaky start to their innings as Mohammad Ali dismissed their experienced opener Steve Smith (13) in the third over with just 28 runs on the board.
Kingsmen then lost two more wickets in successive overs as Akif Javed got in-form opener Sahibzada Farhan (15) caught at cover point, while Hunain Shah trapped Josh Philippe (six) lbw, and consequently slipped to 36/3 inside the batting powerplay.
Following the early stutter, captain Ashton Turner (nine) and his deputy Shan Masood attempted to force a recovery by batting cautiously but could add 15 runs for the fourth wicket as the former was sent back by Saim Ayub in the seventh over.
Glenn Maxwell inflicted another blow to the Sultans’ batting expedition as he got rid of their young all-rounder Arafat Minhas on the first delivery of the eighth over and brought the total further down to 52/5.
Meanwhile, Masood, who stood his ground firmly during the collapse, then shared a crucial 33-run partnership for the sixth wicket with all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz, who contributed with an 18-ball 19 before falling victim to Javed in the 12th over.
Sultans endured another setback an over later as Ali cleaned up Mohammad Imran Randhawa (two) to expose their batting tail.
Hunain ensured retaining the momentum in Kingsmen’s favour as he bowled Peter Siddle in the 16th over.
Masood, however, kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly and eventually brought his 10th PSL half-century in the 18th over.
The left-handed batter batted until the end and top-scored with an unbeaten 69 off 46 deliveries, studded with four sixes and as many fours.
For Kingsmen, the pace trio of Hunain, Ali and Javed bagged two wickets each, while spinners Maxwell and Saim chipped in with one scalp apiece.
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Hitters, pitchers and catchers are not the only beneficiaries of the ABS challenge system. Fans benefit, too.
The ABS challenge system helped Cincinnati Reds’ fans get free pizza during the ninth inning of the team’s 7-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park.
When the Reds strike out 11 hitters in a game, fans get free pizza from the local pizzeria, LaRosa’s. The Reds had 10 strikeouts going into the top of the ninth inning and needed one more to earn their fans some free pizza.
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Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brock Burke celebrates with catcher Tyler Stephenson after the final out of the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park. The Reds won the game 7-2 in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 28, 2026. (Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Reds’ reliever Brock Burke was ahead 1-2 in the count against Colorado Rockies second baseman Edouard Julien. Burke fired a 98 mph fastball at the edge of the zone, but home plate umpire Carlos Torres called it a ball.
Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson thought otherwise and tapped the top of his helmet to initiate the challenge. As the challenge appeared on the scoreboard, Reds play-by-play announcer John Sadak set up the moment.
“Stephenson has won one (challenge) tonight, can he win pizza for those in the stands?” Sadak said on the broadcast.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
A general view of Great American Ball Park during the seventh inning of the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 14, 2026. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The replay confirmed it was a strike, giving the fans free pizza, and the place went bonkers.
“The crowd ready to burst. That’s a strike! He does it for everybody! He does it for the people,” Sadak said.
The broadcast panned to a raucous crowd that celebrated their free pizza. With Burke’s strikeout on the overturned call, all fans got a free small one-topping pizza at LaRosa’s.
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Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Brock Burke pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning at Great American Ball Park. in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 28, 2026. (Katie Stratman/Imagn Images)
For good measure, Burke struck out the 12th Rockies hitter to end the game and secure the win.
With the win, the Reds improved to 19-10 which leads the National League Central. They will take on the Rockies (13-17) on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. ET in the second game of their three-game series.
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