St. John’s Falls at MSG as No. 15 Alabama Surges to 103-96 Win
Lead: On Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at Madison Square Garden, No. 15 Alabama rallied late to hand No. 5 St. John’s a 103-96 defeat. The Crimson Tide closed the game on a decisive 14-1 run, fueled by guard play, while St. John’s comeback from 11 down fell short. Zuby Ejiofor led the Red Storm with 27 points and 10 rebounds, but Alabama’s backcourt tandem proved the difference. The loss was St. John’s first of the season and highlighted matchup problems inside and on the perimeter.
Key Takeaways
- Final score: Alabama 103, St. John’s 96 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 8, 2025.
- Alabama finished on a 14-1 run to break open a tight game late and secure the upset.
- Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway combined for 46 points, leading Alabama’s offense.
- Alabama dominated the paint, 54-40, and outscored St. John’s by 15 points from beyond the arc.
- St. John’s surrendered 14 offensive rebounds, which produced 19 second-chance points for Alabama.
- Zuby Ejiofor posted 27 points and 10 rebounds (21 points came in the first half); Bryce Hopkins added 19 points.
- St. John’s was without point guard Dylan Darling (calf strain), a factor in late-game execution and ball control.
Background
St. John’s entered the nonconference matchup at Madison Square Garden ranked No. 5, carrying expectations of consistency in late-game situations after a strong close to last season. Rick Pitino’s team had shown the ability to grind and execute down the stretch previously, making this matchup a measuring stick against a veteran SEC opponent. Alabama, ranked No. 15, brought an athletic backcourt and a deliberate inside-out approach that has defined its early-season identity.
The matchup also represented a stylistic test: St. John’s tends to rely on halfcourt sets and interior scoring, while Alabama generates offense through guard penetration and kick-outs to perimeter shooters. The presence of a traditional point guard had been limited all season for St. John’s; Dylan Darling’s absence due to a calf strain removed a familiar ball-handler and play organizer from the rotation. Both squads used the game to evaluate depth and rotations ahead of conference play.
Main Event
The first half was paced by Alabama’s guards getting into the lane and forcing help, which produced open perimeter shots. Holloway, Philon and Latrell Wrightstell combined for 34 first-half points on 13-for-22 shooting, and Alabama closed the half on a 16-6 run. A Holloway 3 at the buzzer pushed the Tide’s halftime lead to nine as Alabama totaled 53 first-half points — the most a Pitino-coached St. John’s team has allowed since his arrival in 2022.
St. John’s staged a second-half rally after falling as many as 11 points down. A 19-7 spurt, jump-started by Oziyah Sellers — who scored six points and handed out three assists in the run — briefly gave the Red Storm the lead with roughly 8:13 remaining. When Joson Sanon finally converted his first field goal, a right-wing triple, the Garden erupted and St. John’s appeared poised to complete the comeback.
Alabama responded methodically. The Tide answered the Johnnies’ run with nine straight points that re-established a double-digit cushion, and they repeatedly found answers for St. John’s late attempts to regain momentum. A 14-1 late run put the game out of reach, with Alabama’s guards finishing possessions aggressively and forcing turnovers or contested shots.
Individual lines underlined the divergence. Zuby Ejiofor carried St. John’s offensively with 27 points and 10 rebounds, though 21 of his points came in the first half. Bryce Hopkins supplied 19. Ian Jackson and Oziyah Sellers each finished with 14 points, but the supporting cast went cold at crucial stretches; Sanon was 1-for-7 from the field early before hitting the big three.
Analysis & Implications
Defensive mismatches were decisive. Alabama exploited interior space and paint dominance (54-40), forcing St. John’s to help and then concede open perimeter attempts. The Tide’s ability to turn penetration into kick-out threes accounted for the 15-point difference from deep and altered the game’s geometry for most of the second half.
St. John’s ball-handling and transition defense suffered without Dylan Darling. The Red Storm allowed 14 offensive rebounds and 19 second-chance points; those possessions accounted for momentum swings that undermined St. John’s late-game push. In close games, offensive rebounding and limit on extra possessions are frequently the margin — here they favored Alabama decisively.
From a coaching standpoint, Pitino faces questions about lineup flexibility and perimeter defensive schemes. Alabama’s guards repeatedly attacked closeouts and drew help, exposing rotation timing and communication gaps. Adjustments to switching patterns and rebound box-outs will likely be focal points in practice ahead of St. John’s next matchup.
For Alabama, the win bolsters an early-season résumé and validates its guard-centric offensive blueprint. The Tide demonstrated they can close tight games on the road against ranked opponents, which bodes well for SEC play. For St. John’s, the loss is a reminder that depth, ball security and defensive rebounding remain work-in-progress elements for a team with national expectations.
Comparison & Data
| Metric | Alabama | St. John’s |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 103 | 96 |
| Points in Paint | 54 | 40 |
| 3-Point Differential | +15 | -15 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 14 | (allowed) |
| Top Scorer | Philon/Holloway – combined 46 | Ejiofor – 27 |
The table highlights where Alabama built and sustained its advantage: paint scoring, second-chance points and three-point production. Those three categories accounted for the swing required to turn a close contest into a two-possession game in the final minutes. For St. John’s, heavy reliance on Ejiofor’s early scoring showed both an offensive strength and a late-game fatigue risk when scoring was concentrated rather than spread through multiple consistent threats.
Reactions & Quotes
Alabama finished the game on a 14-1 run to clinch a 103-96 victory at Madison Square Garden.
NY Post (media)
Zuby Ejiofor paced St. John’s with 27 points and 10 rebounds, but many supporting pieces were inconsistent at key stretches.
NY Post box score summary (media)
Dylan Darling was unavailable due to a calf strain, a factor reporters noted in postgame coverage.
NY Post (media)
Unconfirmed
- The long-term status of Dylan Darling’s calf strain beyond the immediate next game is not yet confirmed and will depend on medical evaluation.
- Any permanent lineup changes or rotations by Rick Pitino in response to this loss have not been announced and remain uncertain.
Bottom Line
Saturday’s loss exposed areas where St. John’s must improve to meet top-10 expectations: defending guard penetration, limiting offensive rebounds and getting consistent secondary scoring when primary options are contained. Alabama’s guards — notably Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway — seized control in the moments that mattered and turned a tight contest into a decisive road victory.
For St. John’s, the takeaway is corrective: adjustments on perimeter defense and rebounding discipline are immediate priorities. With nonconference play still early, the Red Storm have time to address those shortcomings, but this game will be a reference point for how the team responds under pressure in the weeks ahead.