Dylan Darling led No. 5 St. John’s to the Sweet 16, but his missed three-point shot ended their season against No. 1 Duke, 80-75, on Friday at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Isiah Evans paced Duke with 25 points, while All-American forward Cameron Boozer added 22. Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor topped the Johnnies with 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in a game they once led by 10.
After drawing a foul, Ejiofor missed his second free throw with 14 seconds left. With the final shot, Darling missed from long range.
St. John’s reached the Sweet 16 after Darling’s game-winning shot against Kansas. Duke advanced by outpacing TCU.
Dillon Mitchell scored the Red Storm’s first points, matching Duke. Mitchell stripped Boozer and scored on a layup after Darling’s deep three ended a scoring drought. Threes from Ian Jackson and Ruben Prey put St. John’s ahead. A 15-4 run was fueled by stiff defense.
Prey’s rebounding and defense provided opportunities to extend their lead. Hopkins and Mitchell made deep threes despite missed shots. Ejiofor hit a three, cutting Duke’s lead to three. Prey’s consecutive triples gave St. John’s a one-point halftime lead.
Turnovers and a 10-point run kept St. John’s in front to start the second half. Duke ended a scoring drought, cutting the deficit to three. St. John’s lead increased to four with five points. Teams traded triples, tying the game with 6:23 left.
Hopkins tied the game after a chaotic sequence before Duke regained the lead. A three from Ejiofor brought St. John’s within five. Hopkins’s layup made it a three-point deficit. St. John’s came up short, ending the game with 41% shooting from three and 45% overall. Duke shot 54%, including 36% from deep.
An offseason awaits St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino with seniors Ejiofor, Hopkins, Mitchell, and Oziyah Sellers graduating in May. Pitino’s return for a fourth season is uncertain.
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