Nineteen days ago, as St. John’s celebrated a remarkable win against Marquette, their enthusiastic supporters began chanting. 

“We Want UConn!” they chanted, full of excitement. 

This bold declaration prompted some social media users to question: Is that a wise choice? 

After all, the Huskies were still reigning as two-time national champions and were set to welcome back star freshman Liam McNeeley from an ankle injury. 

However, just two games later, the 10th-ranked Johnnies provided their fans with even more reason to celebrate. 

With a dominant 89-75 victory at a sold-out Madison Square Garden on Sunday, St. John’s achieved their first sweep over UConn since the 1999-2000 season and moved closer to securing the program’s first outright Big East regular-season title since 1985. A win against Butler on Wednesday would clinch at least a share of the championship for the Red Storm.

Although UConn briefly heated up from beyond the arc in the second half, this matchup was far less competitive than their first meeting, where St. John’s won by just six points in Storrs, Connecticut. 

Following that earlier victory, coach Rick Pitino felt his team underperformed, calling it the weakest showing during their then-10-game winning streak.

Fortunately, Sunday’s performance was a vast improvement. 

DISCOVER THE LATEST BIG EAST STANDINGS AND ST. JOHN’S STATS

All five starters reached double-digit scoring, led by Kadary Richmond and Zuby Ejiofor with 18 points each. Richmond added four assists, two blocks, and two steals, while Ejiofor contributed nine rebounds and six assists. St. John’s (24-4, 15-2) also shot over 40 percent from 3-point range for the second consecutive game. 

RJ Luis, despite being a game-time decision, started and scored 14 points, while Deivon Smith added 12 points along with eight assists and seven rebounds.

UConn struggled with ball control, committing 18 turnovers that led to 24 points for St. John’s, and totaling 40 turnovers in both games against the Johnnies. McNeeley had a rough shooting night, making only 2 of 13 attempts, while standout sophomore Solo Ball fared slightly better at 5 of 13. 

Pitino could not have orchestrated a better first half. St. John’s hit 8 of 16 from beyond the arc, was nearly flawless at the free-throw line, and forced UConn into nine turnovers. They surged ahead with a 16-2 run, concluding the half with a substantial lead of 50-32. 

Connecticut squandered six opportunities on their last possessions of the half, and St. John’s had a remarkable eight-point possession, highlighted by a Scott 3-pointer, two Ejiofor free throws after a flagrant foul from Samson Johnson, and another triple from Luis. It encapsulated a standout half for St. John’s.

St. John’s opened the second half strong, scoring the first four points of the game and expanding their lead to 22 points. UConn fought back, finding their rhythm from long range and going on a 13-5 run. When Alex Karban hit a deep 3-pointer, the gap narrowed to nine points with 12:36 left in the game, as the pro-Connecticut crowd roared. 

However, Richmond responded with back-to-back mid-range jumpers, followed by a pull-up from Simeon Wilcher, restoring a 16-point lead and reigniting the excitement in the arena.