CINCINNATI — Rick Pitino’s 900th victory unfolded with as much tension and excitement as any of his earlier achievements.

St. John’s faced a daunting 16-point deficit early in the second half and had to continue without their key player, Zuby Ejiofor, who fouled out in the final moments. Nonetheless, Dylan Darling stepped up to help secure this landmark win for the Hall of Fame coach in his debut Big East clash against his son, Richard.

Darling proved clutch, scoring St. John’s last five points in the closing 1:20, including a decisive 3-pointer with just 53.2 seconds on the clock. This led the Johnnies to their sixth straight victory, overcoming Xavier 88-83 at the Cintas Center on Saturday afternoon.

After the game, St. John’s players donned special shirts to celebrate Pitino’s significant 900th on-court triumph.

A pivotal moment came when Filip Borovicanin’s three-point play resulted in Ejiofor fouling out on a controversial call with 1:12 remaining, giving Xavier a brief one-point lead. However, Darling responded with a crucial 3-pointer, and Ruben Prey’s follow-up secured the win.

Bryce Hopkins had a big second half and finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. Dillon Mitchell’s ascension continued with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Ejiofor added 13 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

Tre Carroll led Xavier with 31 points. 

It was a wild finish. St. John’s, down 16 at one point, went up five with less than three minutes left.

But Carroll hit a deep step-back 3-pointer and Malik Messina-Moore scored on a drive to pull Xavier even at 79 with 1:38 remaining. 

The start was very strong. St. John’s made eight of its first 10 shots, and built a quick 20-11 lead. Then, everything went wrong.

Pitino went deep into his bench, leading to a 17-5 Xavier run. The Musketeers got hot against the Red Storm reserves and never really cooled off. 

After back-to-back 3-pointers by Messina-Moore, St. John’s trailed by 14 and the building was at its loudest. It was a 12-point differential at the half.

The final play was symbolic, Hopkins missing a layup. 

Only Jackson had a strong half with 16 of St. John’s 37 points. Hopkins missed 8-of-10 shots, Ejiofor was a non-factor, and Joson Sanon was minus-15 in his eight minutes and missed four of his five attempts.

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The Johnnies were minus-four on the glass, minus-four in points in the paint and allowed 10 points in transition. 

The second half didn’t start better than the way the first half ended. Xavier got two layups and the lead was all the way up to 16. 

St. John’s began the long road back by pounding the ball inside. Hopkins scored on a Mitchell feed, igniting a 16-1 burst. Mitchell scored inside on consecutive possessions and when he finished off a steal with a dunk, it was a one-point game. Carroll flipped moment, though, scoring Xavier’s next 11 points. 

But with 9:09 to go, he was given a breather, and St. John’s immediately reeled off eight straight points to take its first lead going back to early in the first half on a Hopkins three-point play.