There are intense conference games, and then there are games that feel like they might spill into the stands.
Saturday in Providence was the latter.
No. 17 St. John's Red Storm walked into a hostile building and walked out with a 79-69 win over the Providence Friars. But the box score barely tells the story. Six players were ejected. The game stopped for nearly 20 minutes. Coaches, security and officials were forced to step in as tempers boiled over in a rivalry that clearly still has teeth.
And through it all, St. John’s kept its composure just enough to extend its winning streak to 11.
The foul that changed everything
Midway through the second half, with Providence clinging to a one-point lead, Bryce Hopkins broke free in transition. As he rose for a layup, Friars forward Duncan Powell delivered a hard foul that caught Hopkins high and sent him crashing to the floor.
Hopkins, playing his first game back in Providence after transferring, understandably took exception. Players rushed in. Words were exchanged. Then came the shoving.
Several St. John’s players left the bench area, which automatically escalated the penalties. Officials huddled at the monitor while both teams tried to cool down. Fans chanted. Players stretched at opposite baskets. It felt less like a February conference game and more like something out of late March.
When it was sorted out, four St. John’s players and two Providence players were ejected. Powell was hit with a Flagrant 2 and a technical. The Big East Conference will review the sequence for possible additional discipline.
Rick Pitino knows the building; and the moment
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino has history in Providence. He took the Friars to the Final Four in 1987. He knows what that building sounds like when it’s loud.
He also knows how quickly things can spiral.
Pitino was seen trying to hold back his players during the altercation. Afterward, he didn’t pretend the emotions weren’t real.
You can’t let your players get pushed around, he essentially said, but you also can’t let the moment cost you the game.
That balance is what experienced teams understand. St. John’s found it.
Providence head coach Kim English didn’t love the foul either, noting there are smarter ways to defend without creating that kind of flashpoint.
St. John’s turns chaos into control
The most impressive part of the afternoon might have been what happened after play resumed.
Hopkins calmly knocked down two free throws. Oziyah Sellers followed with a key bucket. Dylan Darling buried a three that stretched the lead and sucked the energy out of the arena.
Darling finished with 23 points, steady and efficient when things threatened to unravel. Hopkins added nine points and nine rebounds in an emotionally charged return.
Instead of letting the moment rattle them, the Red Storm used it.
St. John’s improved to 20-5 overall and 13-1 in conference play. Eleven straight wins. A growing résumé. A team that looks more comfortable in tight, hostile environments than most.
Providence, now 11-15 and 4-11 in league play, continues to search for stability in a season that hasn’t followed the script.
February intensity, March implications
This is what February in the Big East can look like. Hard fouls. Emotional returns. Conference standings tightening by the week.
For St. John’s, this was more than just another win. It was proof that they can handle a hostile road test, absorb a chaotic moment and still execute down the stretch.
For Providence, it was another frustrating chapter in a season that keeps testing their composure.
The rematch, if it comes in the Big East tournament, will not lack storylines.