St. Joe’s Defeats UConn 72–52 to Win Back-to-Back Big East Championships at Madison Square Garden

(NEW YORK, NY) — The St. Joe’s Red Storm defeated the UConn Huskies 72–52 to win their second consecutive Big East Championship in front of a sellout crowd of 19,812 at Madison Square Garden.

The Red Storm were led by Bryce Hopkins and Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor, who scored 18 points apiece, while Tarris Reed Jr. paced the Huskies with 17 points.

Red Storm Dominates Early and Often

The Red Storm wasted no time setting the tone, opening the game on a 10–0 run sparked by an Ejiofor jumper, an Oziyah Sellers three-pointer, three made free throws, and a jumper from Dylan Darling.

Solo Ball finally put the Huskies on the board with a layup that resulted in a three-point play, cutting the deficit to 10–3 with 15:55 remaining in the first half.

St. Joe’s maintained control throughout the half. An Ejiofor fast-break dunk pushed the Red Storm lead to 32–16 with 8:20 remaining before halftime. They carried that momentum into the break, taking a 40–27 lead.

UConn struggled offensively in the first half, shooting 9-for-25 from the field (36%) and committing 11 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Red Storm shot an efficient 15-for-30 (50%) and converted those turnovers into 15 points.

Second-Half Surge Seals the Title

The Red Storm extended their lead to 18 early in the second half. The Huskies responded with a 9–0 run to cut the deficit to 47–38 before a Hopkins layup halted the momentum.

Reed continued to keep UConn within striking distance, scoring on a layup and a jumper to trim the Red Storm lead to 49–42 — the closest the Huskies would get the rest of the game.

A jumper by Malachi Smith with 8:03 remaining would be UConn’s final field goal, as the Huskies trailed 59–49.

St. Joe’s closed the game emphatically, going on a 13–0 run to shut the door on any UConn comeback and secure the 72–52 championship victory.

Hoyas Come Up Short as UConn Wins 14th Straight

Washington, DC — The UConn Huskies defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 64-62 on Saturday to win their 14th straight game and remain undefeated in Big East Conference play.

UConn has now won 11 consecutive games against Georgetown, while the Hoyas have dropped five straight overall. Tarris Reed Jr led Georgetown with 15 points and 11 rebounds, including eight offensive boards.

Vincent Iwuchukwu and KJ Lewis each added 12 points for the Hoyas.

UConn Wastes No Time

The Huskies jumped out to an early 6-0 lead with 18:26 remaining in the first half following a Tarris Reed Jr dunk, a Silas Demary Jr jumper, and a Reed layup. Iwuchukwu put Georgetown on the scoreboard with 17:13 remaining, but Reed Jr later knocked down a pair of free throws to extend UConn’s lead to 10-2 with 16:08 left.

UConn maintained control for most of the first half. A Braylon Mullins basket pushed the Huskies ahead 32-24 with 1:48 remaining. Georgetown closed the half strong, scoring the final four points to cut the deficit to 32-28 at halftime.

Hoyas Take Their First Lead

Georgetown carried its momentum into the second half. Iwuchukwu scored in the opening minutes to trim the UConn lead to two. On the following possession, Caleb Williams drilled a three-pointer, sending the crowd of 17,861 into a frenzy as the Hoyas took their first lead of the game. KJ Lewis later connected on a pair of free throws to cap a 12-0 run for Georgetown.

UConn Responds Late

The game was tied at 45 following an Iwuchukwu basket with 9:56 remaining. UConn regained the lead at 47-45 after converting a pair of free throws with 8:55 left and held the advantage for the remainder of the second half.

Georgetown had chances late. Lewis pulled the Hoyas within 63-60 with 32 seconds remaining, but after UConn guard Solo Ball missed two free throws, Lewis’ three-point attempt came up short. The Huskies held on for the 64-62 victory.

What’s Next

Georgetown, now 9-9 overall and 1-6 in Big East play, will face Villanova on Wednesday, January 21. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 pm.

4 Tha Culture Holiday Hoops Classic Day 2 Recap

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Richmond Rolls Past Alabama A&M

The Richmond Spiders earned their 10th win of the season on Saturday afternoon with a 72-58 victory over the Alabama A&M Bulldogs.

Rachel Ullstrom led the Spiders with 20 points, while Rakiyah Beal paced the Bulldogs with 16. Richmond also received a strong lift from its bench, which outscored Alabama A&M 25-14. Ava Persichetti finished with nine points off the bench, and Sam Dewey added eight.

Richmond jumped out to a fast start, opening the game on a 13-0 run. The Spiders held a 21-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter. A three-pointer from Ullstrom with 2:48 remaining in the second quarter gave Richmond its largest lead of the game at 41-21. The Spiders carried a 41-27 lead into halftime and maintained control throughout the second half on the way to the 72-58 win.

Richmond will face Penn State on Day 3 of the 4 Tha Culture Holiday Hoops Classic on Sunday, December 21, with tipoff scheduled for 2:30 pm.

Rams Fall to Nittany Lions

The VCU Rams fell to the Penn State Nittany Lions 78-66 on Saturday afternoon.

Daija Preston led VCU with a career high of 17 points, while Moriah Murray scored 18 points for Penn State. The Rams jumped out to an early 6-2 lead with 7:27 remaining in the first quarter, which proved to be their largest lead of the game.

Penn State responded with a 9-0 run to take a 15-8 advantage and led 23-14 at the end of the first quarter. VCU answered in the second quarter with an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to 34-31 with 2:37 remaining before halftime. The Rams trailed 41-34 at the break.

Preston opened the third quarter with a layup that trimmed the Penn State lead to 43-41, marking the closest VCU would get for the remainder of the game. Penn State closed the quarter strong and led 64-54 heading into the fourth. The Nittany Lions maintained their lead down the stretch to secure the 78-66 victory.

VCU, now 4-9 overall and 0-1 in Atlantic 10 play, will face Saint Joseph’s on December 31 at 2 pm.