PROVIDENCE – The trip to the finish line was more eventful than expected. The end result was anything but.
No. 17 St. John’s persevered like a potential championship team in the Big East. Providence College fans jeered Bryce Hopkins for 40 minutes and reveled in a hard foul against him that sparked a fight – the price for satiating that bloodlust was absorbing a latest conference loss.
Dylan Darling starred off the bench for the Red Storm, and their defense handled the rest. The Friars never made a serious run late in the second half and were doomed to a 79-69 setback at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Darling pumped in 18 of his game-high 23 points after halftime, including a layup after a Jamier Jones turnover and a 1-and-1 conversion at the line with 7:33 left. St. John’s carried a 64-55 lead into the home stretch and put it away on a follow jam by Joson Sanon with 5:15 to play. That pushed the Red Storm lead back to double figures, and Providence had no road to recover while shooting 33.3% in each half.
“Thought we came out really good in the second half,” Providence coach Kim English said. “The scrum happened, I thought, at a bad time for us. We had the lead.”
Providence erased an early 13-point deficit to jump ahead in the opening minutes after the break and held a 40-39 edge with 14:25 left. Hopkins raced down the left wing for a layup and Duncan Powell came across to deck him with two hands. Six players were ejected after the ensuing melee, and St. John’s scored the game’s next eight points to pull in front for good.
“We know exactly what we’re playing for,” St. John’s big man Zuby Ejiofor said. “We’re playing for a championship, and that’s a one-game-at-a-time mentality. Our biggest thing was to stay composed through it all.”
Powell and Jaylin Sellers were ejected for the Friars, stripping them of a player who led them in scoring at the time. Sellers shook off a 0-for-8 start from the field to close with 13 points, but he was unable to contribute for the majority of the second half. Hopkins connected on two free throws after a lengthy official review, Oziyah Sellers scored at the rim and Darling buried a 3-pointer to make it 47-40 with 13:55 to play.
“We knew it was going to be tough,” Darling said. “We had to have a great mindset to come in here and win.”
The Red Storm (20-5, 13-1 Big East) avenged their lone loss in conference play while winning their 11th straight overall. They suffered a 77-71 defeat against Providence at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 3, a result that looks more curious by the day. St. John’s committed just five turnovers, collected 11 steals and buried the Friars by a 14-2 scoring margin off turnovers.
“They were physical,” English said. “It was hard to get fluid offense against their stifling defense. We ended up playing in transition – we made some poor transition decisions in the second half.”
Providence (11-15, 4-11) was shorthanded without Corey Floyd Jr. (hamstring) and Jason Edwards (foot), who was listed as questionable and warmed up during the pregame. English called Floyd a “warrior” and said he suffered an injury during an 87-80 loss at Seton Hall on Wednesday night. Edwards returned for a home win against DePaul after a seven-game absence and followed by scoring 11 points in 22 minutes against the Pirates.
“He practiced well yesterday,” English said. “He warmed up. He complained about some pain last night to our trainer, warmed up and then ultimately didn’t feel like he could go.”
The Friars sealed a second straight finish under .500 in conference play for the first time since enduring three in a row from 2009-10 to 2011-12. Stefan Vaaks led with 20 points despite 5-for-19 shooting and Ryan Mela finished just shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Providence dropped to 3-5 in conference home games this season in front of 11,714 fans and has lost nine of its last 13 in the league here.
“You want to play hard, play the right way and compete,” English said. “I didn’t think we competed early. I thought we competed as the game went on.”
ST. JOHN’S (79): Dillon Mitchell 2-6 1-2 5, Bryce Hopkins 3-14 3-4 9, Zuby Ejiofor 4-7 6-9 14, Oziyah Sellers 5-11 1-2 11, Ian Jackson 3-8 2-2 9, Joson Sanon 2-6 0-2 5, Dylan Darling 6-11 8-9 23, Ruben Prey 0-2 0-0 0, Lefteris Liotopoulos 1-3 0-0 3, Kelvin Odih 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-68 21-30 79.
PROVIDENCE (69): Jamier Jones 3-11 6-8 12, Oswin Erhunmwunse 3-3 1-2 7, Jaylin Sellers 5-15 2-2 13, Stefan Vaaks 5-19 7-8 20, Ryan Mela 5-13 4-4 14, Duncan Powell 1-2 0-0 3, Cole Hargrove 0-1 0-0 0, Nilavan Daniels 0-0 0-0 0, Peteris Pinnis 0-2 0-0 0, Jack Williams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-66 20-24 69.
Halftime – SJ, 34-29. 3-point FG – SJ 6-21 (Mitchell 0-1, Hopkins 0-2, Ejiofor 0-1, Sellers 0-2, Jackson 1-4, Sanon 1-3, Darling 3-5, Liotopoulos 1-3), P 5-23 (Jones 0-2, Sellers 1-5, Vaaks 3-12, Mela 0-2, Powell 1-2). Rebounds – SJ 41 (Hopkins 9), P 49 (Mela 9, Team 9). Assists – SJ 13 (Mitchell 6), P 8 (Vaaks 3, Mela 3). Turnovers – SJ 5 (Ejiofor 2), P 14 (Jones 5). Blocked shots – SJ 4 (Prey 2), P 6 (Erhunmwunse 2). Steals – SJ 11 (Mitchell 3, Darling 3), P 3 (Jones 1, Vaaks 1, Powell 1). Attendance – 11,714.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence Friars lose to St. John's 79-69 on February 14, 2026