No. 6 St. John's beats Creighton 82-66 for 1st Big East Tournament crown in 25 years

NEW YORK (AP) — Regular-season champs. A tournament title. Pride in the program fully restored.

The pied piper of college basketball rebuilds, Rick Pitino has St. John's back atop the Big East.

And this time, the nets were coming down.

RJ Luis Jr. scored all but two of his 29 points after halftime and No. 6 St. John's made 14 straight shots from the field in the second half to beat Creighton 82-66 on Saturday night for its first Big East Tournament title in 25 years.

“Wow, this is incredible just to come from last year to this year and to see the transformation,” Luis said. “Coach P is the mastermind behind all of this. I mean, it’s truly special.”

Zuby Ejiofor added 20 points and Kadary Richmond had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the top-seeded Red Storm (30-4), who reached 30 wins for the third time in program history before a roaring hometown crowd at sold-out Madison Square Garden.

They earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for their first trip since 2019, making the 72-year-old Pitino the first coach to take six schools to the Big Dance.

The others were Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville and Iona.

“Great win for the city. Great win for our university. You hear it all along that it’s New York’s team, and it truly is,” the Hall of Fame coach said. “As a New Yorker myself, I’m very, very proud that St. John’s has gotten to this level.”

Pitino, in his second season with the Johnnies, also became the first coach to win the Big East Tournament at two schools. He’s won three times in his last four seasons in the league, after guiding Louisville to championships in 2009, 2012 and 2013.

“I saved the best for last,” Pitino announced to loud cheers from the crowd of 19,812, pausing to remove falling confetti from his lips during a postgame interview on the court.

Luis, the Big East Player of the Year, also grabbed 10 rebounds and was selected the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He was draped in a Dominican Republic flag as fans chanted “MVP! MVP!” after the game.

“Just still trying to soak it in, and it’s just crazy how much you can speak things into existence and just watch it all come together,” Luis said. “This has by far been the most emotional, happiest week of my 22 years of existence.”

Ejiofor and Richmond made the All-Tournament team.

“The three of them have been unstoppable,” Pitino said.

Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 15 points for second-seeded Creighton (24-10), which fell to 0-5 in Big East championship games since joining the conference for the 2013-14 season.

“It's hard to get to this game, let’s be honest,” coach Greg McDermott said. “We’ve been fortunate to be here quite a few times. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to finish the job.”

When the resurgent Johnnies clinched their first outright regular-season conference championship in 40 years with a victory over Seton Hall at The Garden on March 1, they had already decided not to cut down the nets to celebrate.

More work to do.

But on this night, players and staff climbed the ladder and snipped their souvenirs.

It was the fourth Big East Tournament title for the Johnnies, who made the championship game for the first time since winning the 2000 trophy under Mike Jarvis. The previous two came in the 1980s under Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca, who died Nov. 30 about five weeks shy of his 100th birthday.

“To finally get over the hump, it’s really an unbelievable feeling,” Ejiofor said. “I’m so happy to be a part of history.”

And after the Red Storm cut down the nets, a message appeared on the giant video screen above center court: “For Looie."

“I’m thinking he would be so proud of this team,” said Pitino, who has quickly revived St. John's into a national power again late in his illustrious but checkered career.

“Humility is a big part of my life right now. It wasn’t always that way,” he added. “I don’t believe in redemption. I believe in humility.”

The drought between Big East Tournament titles for the Johnnies was the longest for any team in league history.

“St. John’s didn’t get built by the NIL. St. John’s got built with character of the players," Pitino said.

Luis was whistled for his second foul with 7:19 left before halftime and sat out the rest of the half.

After falling behind by eight early, St. John’s finally took its first lead at 43-41 with 11:55 remaining when backup big man Vince Iwuchukwu scored left-handed in the post over the 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner, the four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year.

That came 33 seconds after Ejiofor converted a tying three-point play that began a streak of 14 consecutive made field goals in 7:12 for the Red Storm, giving them a 70-55 lead. They connected on 17 of their final 19 field goal attempts to finish at 72% in the second period (23 for 32).

Quite an offensive display for a team that entered the game shooting 45% from floor.

“We definitely fed off the crowd, the energy, the atmosphere," Luis said. “It was ridiculous. It was very loud.”

St. John’s has won nine straight games, and 19 of 20 since the new year. The team finished 21-0 on its home courts, including 12-0 at MSG — the program’s most wins at The Garden since compiling 13 in 1958-59. The last time the Johnnies finished unbeaten at home was the 1931-32 season.

Bluejays reserve Fedor Zugic injured his right ankle with 11:23 left in the first half and had to be helped off the court to the locker room. He didn’t return.

Creighton, which entered shooting 74% on free throws, missed six of its first eight from the line and finished 8 for 16.

Creighton: Headed to its fifth straight NCAA Tournament when the brackets are revealed Sunday.

St. John’s: Hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game in 25 years. Pitino and the streaking Red Storm seem likely to receive a No. 2 seed Sunday.

“We still have a lot to prove. We’re not done,” Ejiofor said.

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St. John's Simeon Wilcher (7) blocks a shot by Creighton's Jackson McAndrew (23) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's Sadiku Ibine Ayo (2) and Vince Iwuchukwu (8) celebrate after an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Fans watch as St. John's celebrates during the trophy ceremony after an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Creighton head coach Greg McDermott, left, talks to Steven Ashworth (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against the St. John's in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's Zuby Ejiofor, center, and RJ Luis Jr. celebrate with teammates after an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino celebrates with his team after the tournament trophy was presented after an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Creighton's Jamiya Neal (5), Jackson McAndrew (23) and Steven Ashworth (1) watch during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against the St. John's in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino gestures during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's Zuby Ejiofor, left, celebrates as Zuby Ejiofor holds the tournament trophy after an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino admires the tournment trophy after an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's RJ Luis Jr. gestures to fans before cutting the net after an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Spike Lee reacts to a call during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game between St. John's and Creighton in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's's Zuby Ejiofor (24) looks to pass during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Creighton's Steven Ashworth gestures after making a three-point shot during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against the St. John's in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's Zuby Ejiofor holds celebrates with teammates while holding the tournament trophy after an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's's Zuby Ejiofor (24) shoots over Creighton's Jamiya Neal (5) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's's Zuby Ejiofor (24) shoots over Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Creighton's Jasen Green (0) defends a shot by St. John's's Zuby Ejiofor (24) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's's Deivon Smith (5) reaches for the inbound pass to Creighton's Jamiya Neal (5) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's's RJ Luis Jr. (12) shoots over Creighton's Steven Ashworth (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

St. John's celebrates after an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

KOCANI, North Macedonia (AP) — A massive fire tore through an overcrowded nightclub in North Macedonia Sunday, killing 59 people and injuring 155 in a chaotic escape during a live concert. The tragedy drew messages of support from around the world but focused national attention on corruption in the tiny Balkan country as authorities detained 15 people.

The pre-dawn blaze in the eastern town of Kocani left mostly young people dead and injured due to burns, smoke inhalation and a stampede in the desperate effort to reach the building's single exit, officials said. People as young as 16 were among the injured, they said.

Videos showed sparkling pyrotechnics on the stage hitting the ceiling followed by scenes of chaos inside the club, with young people running through the smoke as the musicians urged them to escape as quickly as possible.

“We even tried to get out through the toilet, to find bars (on the windows),” Marija Taseva, 19, told The Associated Press, describing the fire that erupted after watching a local pop group at Club Pulse. "I somehow managed to get out. I fell down the stairs and they ran over me, trampled me. ... I barely stayed alive and could hardly breathe.”

Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said 15 people had been detained for questioning after a preliminary inspection revealed the club was operating without a proper license. He said that the number of people inside the club was at least double its official capacity of 250.

“We have grounds for suspicion that there is bribery and corruption in this case,” he told reporters without elaborating.

Condolences poured in from leaders around Europe as well as from the office of Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for a month for double pneumonia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also sent messages of support. “I wish those who were injured a speedy recovery. Ukraine mourns alongside our (North) Macedonian friends on this sad day,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X.

Health Ministry officials said the government had accepted offers of assistance from several neighboring countries, including Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey, where preparations were being made to receive patients with life-threatening injuries. Paramedics from Serbia and Bulgaria also traveled to North Macedonia to help with the local effort.

Throughout Sunday, relatives gathered in front of hospitals and city offices in Kocani, some 115 kilometers (72 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, begging authorities for more information. Resident Dragi Stojanov was informed that his 21-year-old son Tomce had died in the fire.

“He was my only child. I don’t need my life anymore. ... 150 families have been devastated," he said. “Children burnt beyond recognition. There are corpses, just corpses inside (the club).”

In Skopje, officials said the injured were to hospitals around the country, many being treated for severe burns and smoke inhalation. The effort was being assisted by multiple volunteer organizations.

The fire is the worst tragedy in recent memory to befall the landlocked nation, whose population is less than 2 million, and the latest in a slew of deadly nightclub fires around the world.

President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova visited burn victims at a hospital in Skopje and spoke to parents waiting outside the building.

“It's terrible ... hard to believe how this happened,” she said, her voice halting with emotion. “We must give these young people courage to continue.”

The fire caused the roof of the single-story building to partially collapse, revealing the charred remains of wooden beams and debris. Police cordoned off the site and sent in evidence gathering teams in an operation also involving state prosecutors.

Pyrotechnics have often been the cause of deadly fires in nightclubs, including the one at the Colectiv club in Bucharest, Romania, in 2015 in which 64 people died.

Associated Press writers from across Europe contributed to this report.

A police officer inspects a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

Police officers hold plastic bags on the site of a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

Police officers investigate a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Police officers block a road near a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Police officers block a road near a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

CORRECTS CITY TO SKOPJE - People wait in front of the hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, after a massive fire in a nightclub in the town of Kocani. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Prosecutors arrive at the scene of a massive fire in a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

A person makes a telephone call in front of the hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, after a massive fire in a nightclub in the town of Kocani. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

A firefighter inspects a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

CORRECTS CITY TO SKOPJE - People wait in front of the hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, after a massive fire in a nightclub in the town of Kocani. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Macedonian Interior Minister Pance Toskovski speaks to media after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Police officers investigate a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Police officers investigate a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

A firefighter inspects a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Police officers investigate a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

A firefighter inspects a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Rescue workers stand in front of a club after massive fire broke out early Sunday in Kocani, North Macedonia, March 16, 2025. (Kocani TV via AP)

Rescue workers stand in front of a club after massive fire broke out early Sunday in Kocani, North Macedonia, March 16, 2025. (Kocani TV via AP)