Richmond scores 24 and hits winning jumper as No. 15 St. John's holds off Providence 68-66

NEW YORK (AP) — Kadary Richmond scored a season-high 24 points, including the tiebreaking jumper with three seconds left, and No. 15 St. John’s held off Providence 68-66 on Saturday after blowing a 19-point lead in the final nine minutes.

RJ Luis Jr. added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Red Storm (19-3, 10-1 Big East), off to the program's best start in 39 years. They have won eight straight games and 14 of 15.

St. John's took a one-game lead in the conference standings when No. 9 Marquette lost to No. 25 UConn on Saturday night.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim had a season-high 27 points off the bench to help Providence (11-11, 5-6) rally at Madison Square Garden. He made two of his eight 3-pointers during the furious comeback before Bensley Joseph hit a tying 3 with 33 seconds left — his only basket of the game to go with 12 rebounds and seven assists.

Following a timeout, Richmond used a screen by Zuby Ejiofor to get separation from Jayden Pierre and drain a pull-up jumper from the foul line. Joseph missed a heave from just inside halfcourt at the buzzer.

Richmond shot 10 of 14 from the field and had eight rebounds and eight assists. Ejiofor scored 13 for St. John’s, which shot 38% from the floor.

Providence: Entered averaging 12 turnovers per game but matched that total in the first half and finished with 20 overall.

St. John’s: Point guard Deivon Smith looked rusty at times after missing three of the previous four games with a right shoulder injury. He shot 1 for 10 from the field and finished with three points and six assists in 28 minutes off the bench.

Corey Floyd Jr. and Abdur-Rahim made consecutive 3s that pulled Providence to 62-61 with 2:21 remaining.

Providence’s top two scorers, Joseph and Pierre, combined for only 14 points on 5-of-23 shooting.

Providence hosts Creighton on Wednesday. St. John’s plays Marquette on Tuesday night at MSG before visiting UConn on Friday.

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St. John's guard Simeon Wilcher (7) reacts after St. John's gained possession of the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Providence Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

St. John's guard RJ Luis Jr. (12) shoots a free throw during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Providence Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

St. John's forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) attempts to steal the ball from Providence forward Christ Essandoko (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

St. John's forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) dribbles the ball against Providence forward Christ Essandoko (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino yells on the court during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Providence Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

St. John's guard Kadary Richmond (1) dribbles the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Providence Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)