St. John's survives late vs. No. 3 UConn in MSG showdown

Zuby Ejiofor notched 21 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists as No. 22 St. John's held off No. 3 UConn late to defeat the Huskies 81-72 at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

The win was the 903rd of Rick Pitino's career, tying him with Roy Williams for the third-most by a head coach in Division I history.

"You're going to make me retire," Pitino joked to Ejiofor postgame, per The Torch. "I'm not living life without you."

Silas Demary Jr. shot 7-of-11 and led the Huskies with 18 points, including a crushing dunk on Ejiofor with just over seven minutes remaining.

It was just the second loss of the campaign for UConn, whose only other defeat was a four-point margin versus Arizona on Nov. 19. It also reduced the Huskies' lead atop the Big East to a half-game over the Red Storm.

"I credit St. John's," UConn head coach Dan Hurley said, courtesy of UCTV Sports. "It was the exact type of game we thought it was going to be."

Pitino, 73, is unlikely to catch the second-best wins mark, held by Syracuse legend Jim Boeheim. The latter sits 213 wins clear of Pitino and Williams with 1,116. However, with three seasons left on his contract after this one, Pitino stands a shot at becoming the third Division I coach to eclipse 1,000 wins.

The Red Storm can match the Huskies in the standings with a win at home Monday against Xavier, which is coached by Pitino's son, Richard. St. John's defeated Xavier 88-83 in their first meeting of the season Jan. 24.