NEW YORK (AP) — RJ Luis Jr. scored 20 points and No. 6 St. John's romped to a 78-57 blowout of Butler in their Big East Tournament quarterfinal Thursday.
One game after posting the program's first triple-double this century, Kadary Richmond finished with 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Red Storm (28-4). Aaron Scott also scored 15 for St. John's, which has won seven straight games — and 17 of 18 since the new year.
Coming off the school's first outright Big East regular-season title in 40 years, the Johnnies hold the top seed at the conference tournament for the first time since 1986. They'll play No. 25 Marquette in the first semifinal Friday night at Madison Square Garden, after the fifth-seeded Golden Eagles rallied for an 89-87 win over No. 4 seed Xavier.
After going 23 years without reaching the Big East semis, the Red Storm have made it twice in two seasons under 72-year-old Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino. The resurgent Johnnies are seeking their fourth Big East Tournament title and first since 2000.
Patrick McCaffery had 16 points to pace No. 9 seed Butler (14-19), a 75-69 winner over eighth-seeded Providence in the first round Wednesday. Finley Bizjack scored 10 before leaving early in the second half with an apparent ankle injury.
WNBA star Caitlin Clark, wearing a Butler baseball cap, sat just behind the scorers’ table near the team’s bench. Clark’s boyfriend is Bulldogs assistant coach Connor McCaffery, brother of Patrick.
Patrick McCaffery overcame thyroid cancer as a teenager and later took a leave of absence to address anxiety while playing for his father, Fran, at Iowa. After exiting his final college game, the redshirt senior forward cried on his brother's shoulder along the sideline.
Takeaways
Butler: Since joining the Big East for the 2013-14 season, the only time the Bulldogs reached the conference semifinals was 2018.
St. John's: Improved to 19-0 at home, including 10-0 at MSG. The last time the Johnnies finished unbeaten at home was the 1931-32 season.
Key moment
Luis, the Big East Player of the Year, scored all eight of his first-half points in 2 1/2 minutes, part of a 15-0 spurt that gave St. John's an 18-3 lead with 12:29 remaining before the break. Butler never got closer than eight the rest of the way.
Key stats
St. John's, which never trailed, held the Bulldogs to 34.5% shooting and outscored them 44-18 in the paint along with 15-0 on fast breaks.
Up next
St. John's swept Marquette during the regular season, including an 86-84 overtime victory last Saturday in Milwaukee on Zuby Ejiofor's buzzer-beater in the lane.
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