Fight, ejections underscore testy St. John's win over Providence

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News on Feb 14, 2026

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There was no love lost between St. John’s and Providence on Valentine’s Day.

A fight broke out during the second half of the Red Storm’s 79-69 win over the Friars during a tense Saturday afternoon at Amica Mutual Pavilion, where seven players were ejected.

Providence’s Duncan Powell committed a hard, flagrant foul on St. John’s star Bryce Hopkins — a former Friar and now a villain to their fan base — as the latter drove to the basket with 14:25 remaining.

Hopkins crashed to the court after the leaping Powell struck him in the face. Mayhem ensued, with players from both teams engaging in a shoving match, during which Powell also got tangled up with St. John’s forward Dillon Mitchell.

The skirmish caused a 19-minute delay and resulted in the ejections of Powell — who was charged with a flagrant 2 foul — and Jaylin Sellers of Providence, as well as Mitchell, Ruben Prey, Sadiku Ibine Ayo and Kelvin Odih of St. John’s, some of whom left the bench.

Multiple fans were also ejected for their behavior in the stands amid the brouhaha.

No. 17 St. John’s trailed, 40-39, at the time of the fracas but erupted out of the prolonged delay with a 13-3 run to pull ahead for good. That decisive surge included eight straight points from Dylan Darling, who made a pair of 3-pointers and turned a steal into a fastbreak lay-up.

“I feel like we responded in the best way possible,” Zuby Ejiofor said.

Providence’s Jamier Jones was ejected later in the half for a hard shove on Ejiofor that drove the St. John’s star to the ground.

Shortly after that, the Red Storm’s Joson Sanon was called for a technical foul for saying something after a block on Stefan Vaaks.

The win was the 11th in a row for St. John’s (20-5; 13-1 vs. Big East), but the focus afterward remained on the fight.

“There’s a time to have hard fouls through a guy’s arms. You’re never gonna hit one in the head intentionally, obviously,” Providence head coach Kim English said of Powell after his team fell to 11-15, including 4-11 vs. the Big East. “I didn’t think that was a time for a hard foul.”

Saturday’s game was Hopkins’ first at Amica Mutual Pavilion since he transferred from Providence to St. John’s last offseason.

Hopkins, who played three seasons at Providence, downplayed his return during the week, saying the Red Storm’s quest for a Big East championship was more important than “any personal narratives.”

But Providence fans booed Hopkins on Saturday, just as a traveling contingent did on Jan. 3 when the teams met at Madison Square Garden.

“The crowd, I think, lost objectivity on what they’re here for,” St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino, who coached Providence from 1985-87, said Saturday. “If they’re just here to poke fun at Bryce Hopkins and not get a win for the Friars, that’s not the Friars [fans] I remember.”

St. John’s lost the prior meeting, 77-71, after blowing a double-digit lead in the second half — a game that marked a turning point in the Red Storm’s season.

Saturday’s rematch was a different story, with the Johnnies outscoring Providence, 40-29, after the fight.

Darling led St. John’s with 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3 of 5 on 3-pointers, to go with eight rebounds and three steals in 27 minutes off the bench.

Ejiofor added 14 points, while Hopkins finished with nine points on 3-of-14 shooting and a team-high nine rebounds.

“We’re really excited to get a W, because we were down a lot of players and we still came away with a victory,” Pitino said. “So [I am] proud of our guys.”

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