St. John’s men’s basketball comes up short against Creighton on the road again

The Red Storm blew a lead, again, and lost by a basket in Omaha, again.

Auld Lang Sigh.

St. John’s hoped to end its 2024 with a rare road win over Creighton in Omaha, where they have only won at once in thirteen previous meetings. On New Year’s Eve, they fell short to the Bluejays by one point once again, losing 57-56, awfully reminiscent of how they lost to Creighton last January.

The Red Storm looked to be in control from the onset of the game, taking an early 18-7 lead by forcing turnovers and pushing in transition. Zuby Ejiofor made two early threes, the most he’s made in a single game in his college career. Little did the Johnnies know that the three-point shooting taps would shut from there. St. John’s missed their subsequent six attempts from deep to finish 2-of-9 from three (22.2%).

After missing nine of their first twelve shots, Creighton would find their offensive rhythm and climb back. Steven Ashworth, who briefly exited the game with an apparent knee injury, returned to the game and pushed the Bluejays ahead for their first lead of the game with a pull-up three above the break with 1:55 left in the first half. Aaron Scott would make an and-one layup and free throw for the trouble to give St. John’s a 28-26 halftime lead.

The second half started with a battle of attrition, as neither team generated enough offense. St. John’s kept trying to generate offense inside the arc, but they struggled to find an opening with the lanky Ryan Kalkbrenner roaming around, rejecting five shots in the game. The Red Storm shot 36.8% from the field on Tuesday, their second-worst shooting clip in a game this year. Zuby Ejiofor was the only starter who didn’t have a gaudy offensive game by scoring a team-best 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. St. John’s offensive struggles allowed Creighton to spur a 12-2 run to take a six-point lead with 11:08 left in the second half.

They would eventually push it out to a 54-46 edge with 4:31 remaining, but St. John’s would mount a late comeback attempt, cutting the lead down to 55-54 with 1:31 left. After a pair of Ashworth made free throws, Smith made a layup to bring the lead to one again. On the very next possession, Steven Ashworth committed his tenth (yes, tenth) turnover of the game to give the Red Storm one final chance to win it.

R.J. Luis dribbled right above the free throw line and took a ballsy mid-range jumper over the much taller Ryan Kalkbrenner, clearing his reach with enough loft but bouncing off the front iron and off the back of the rim. Luis received a serendipitous mulligan, as Jamiya Neal tipped the ball out to the perimeter to Luis at half-court, but he could not convert on his second and final chance. Multiple Creighton defenders stonewalled Luis’s drive to the basket before he could take a layup, leaving nothing for the Red Storm but another unfulfilled trip to Omaha.

St. John’s returns to New York for their next game when they face Butler on Saturday, January 4, at Carnesecca Arena (2:00 p.m., FS1). The Red Storm will pay tribute to Lou Carnesecca on what would have been the legendary coach’s 100th birthday.