PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 22, 2025) – The No. 2 St. John’s men’s basketball team (31-5) mounted a second half comeback but ultimately fell short against No. 10 Arkansas (22-13), 75-66, in the NCAA Tournament Second Round on Saturday at Amica Mutual Pavilion.

After trailing by as many as 13 with 11:32 left in the second half, the Red Storm made a late charge to cut the deficit to two on three separate occasions. However, in the final minutes the Razorbacks outlasted the Johnnies to advance to the Sweet 16.

Zuby Ejiofor was dominant for the Red Storm, leading all scorers with 23 points, including 16 in the opening half. The junior pulled down 12 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Ejiofor shot 7-for-12 from the floor and sank 9-of-11 attempts at the charity stripe.

St. John’s guard Deivon Smith added 13 points and went 5-of-7 from the charity stripe while RJ Luis Jr. chipped in nine points and Aaron Scott registered seven points and 10 boards.

The Johnnies outrebounded Arkansas, 51-45, and grabbed 28 offensive rebounds on Saturday in the Ocean State.

Arkansas’ Karter Knox (15), Johnell Davis (13) and Billy Richmond III (16) combined for 44 points in the Razorbacks’ fifth win in six games.

In the early minutes of action, the Razorbacks jumped out a 9-4 advantage with Johnell Davis cashing in on an early triple. After falling behind by eight, the Johnnies quickly engineered a 7-0 scoring run to tighten the scoreline, 14-13. Ejiofor closed the stretch out with a fastbreak and one lay-in off a feed from Kadary Richmond.

After the Johnnies suffered a field goal drought, Scott setup Lefteris Liotopoulos for the splash from the top of the key to cut it to two. St. John’s continued to shift the momentum after back-to-back slams by Ejiofor and Luis that tied the score and brought the crowd to their feet. Smith’s driving lay-up gave the Red Storm its first lead of the afternoon, 28-27, with 4:25 remaining in the opening half.

In the closing two minutes of the stanza, Arkansas tallied the final seven points to carry a 35-32 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, Arkansas expanded its lead to as many as 13, but the Johnnies continued to fight back. A three-point play from Smith ignited a 7-0 run to bring the Red Storm within six, 55-49, forcing an Arkansas timeout with 10:12 left to play.

The two sides continued to trade baskets as the intensity rose inside Amica Mutual Pavilion. Luis scored three straight to creep within three points. St. John’s got within two with a pair of free throws from Scott with 6:11 to play. As the two sides continued to go back-and-forth, the Razorbacks went ahead by four, before Ruben Prey drove the baseline for an emphatic slam to bring it back to a two-point game, 66-64.

Coming out of the under-four media timeout, the Razorbacks forced a turnover that led to a bucket on the other end. After the Razorbacks lead grew back to six in the final minutes, St. John’s was unable to convert on the offensive end, ultimately falling short in the NCAA Tournament Second Round.

The Red Storm concludes the 2024-25 campaign with a 31-5 overall record, tying a program record in wins for a single season. The Johnnies captured both the 2025 BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament Championships and went 21-0 in New York City, the first undefeated mark at home in 93 years.