NEW YORK (AP) — Zuby Ejiofor scored six of his 25 points in overtime and No. 17 St. John's outlasted pesky Xavier 87-82 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden for its 10th consecutive victory.
With his 904th career win on the court, Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino passed Roy Williams for third place in Division I history behind Mike Krzyzewski (1,202) and Jim Boeheim (1,116).
It was Pitino's second victory in 17 days over his son, Richard, the first-year coach of the Musketeers. In the previous meeting, the elder Pitino earned his 900th win when the Johnnies rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half for an 88-83 victory at Xavier.
Bryce Hopkins added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Red Storm (19-5, 12-1 Big East), who won for the 15th time in 17 games and tied No. 6 UConn atop the conference standings.
St. John’s was coming off a rousing win Friday night at The Garden over the rival Huskies.
Dylan Darling had 16 points off the bench for the Johnnies. Ejiofor also provided seven rebounds and five assists, including a pass to Oziyah Sellers for the breakaway dunk that sealed it with 7 seconds left in OT.
St. John's went 28 for 41 (68%) at the free-throw line, its most foul shots since taking 44 against Lehigh in November 2011. A trio of Xavier players fouled out in overtime — on three straight defensive possessions.
Tre Carroll, the Big East's leading scorer, had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Musketeers (12-12, 4-9), who have lost five of six and eight of 11. He scored 11 in a row for Xavier in the second half and surpassed 1,000 career points.
Sellers tipped in his own miss with 16 seconds remaining in regulation to tie it at 78, and Carroll missed a wild 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
Rick Pitino improved to 5-1 in coaching matchups against his son. Fathers are 21-3 overall in such Division I games.
Xavier hosts Marquette on Saturday, after dropping their first meeting this season 66-65 on Jan. 7.
St. John’s visits Providence on Saturday looking to avenge its last loss, 77-71 on Jan. 3 at MSG.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
St. John's forward Bryce Hopkins (23) dunks as Xavier's forward Filip Borovicanin (4) reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican lawmakers pressed Charlotte-area leaders on Monday about crime-fighting efforts following recent light-rail stabbings in the Democratic-led city, with a committee head citing failures in carrying out criminal justice functions.
The August fatal stabbing death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, followed in December by a non-fatal stabbing on the same Charlotte rail system, are among the chief reasons for GOP critiques of area law enforcement. The suspect in each stabbing faces charges in state and federal court.
GOP Rep. Brenden Jones, co-chairman of the state House oversight committee that took testimony from several officials, attributed Zarutska's killing to broad “incompetence.”
Democrats on the committee pushed back on Jones' words, with one lawmaker saying he saw no incompetence among many who testified. City officials and the local prosecutor focused their comments on anti-crime strategies already underway and lower crime rates.
Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused in Zarutska’s death, had more than a dozen prior criminal arrests before the most recent charge, and concerns had been raised about his mental health. Republican lawmakers, as well as President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, blamed Democratic leaders in Charlotte and statewide for soft-on-crime policies they allege allowed Brown to stay out of custody.
Zarutska had “come to America for a better life. She didn’t get that experience,” Jones said at the meeting’s start. “Her life was cut short not by one individual but by a system that allowed a career criminal to roam your streets.”
“Her blood is on your hands,” he added.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, who was among those testifying Monday, wrote soon after Zarutska’s death that it was a “tragic failure by the courts and magistrates.” She and others have since highlighted additional safety measures for the light rail system.
Most of the committee’s vitriol Monday was targeted at the Mecklenburg County sheriff, who operates the local jail. The committee's past public scrutiny has been useful for Republicans politically on hot-button issues. The panel can seek more documents or could threaten funding losses — although that couldn’t occur without separate action by the full General Assembly.
Despite the harsh opening attack by Jones, committee members were cordial in their questioning of Lyles, new Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella Patterson and Mecklenburg District Attorney Spencer Merriweather.
During testimony, Merriweather suggested the need for more assistant prosecutors, earlier mental health interventions and combating more onerous crimes by juveniles.
While calling Jones' statement “strong,” the meeting “really lets me know that the General Assembly cares about Charlotte and they want to work with us to make our city safer," Patterson told reporters.
Still, in a news release after the meeting, Democratic Reps. Eric Ager and Maria Cervania accused the panel of engaging in “cynical partisan theatre to paint Charlotte in a negative light.”
Zarutska’s death has already resulted in a new state law that bars cashless bail for certain violent crimes and many repeat offenders. It also seeks to ensure more defendants undergo mental health evaluations. Democratic Gov. Josh Stein last week issued an executive order designed in part to address mental health treatment for people whom police confront and who are incarcerated.
Sheriff Garry McFadden has clashed for years with lawmakers who accused him of failing to cooperate with immigration agents seeking to apprehend defendants in his jail. A recent state law has now made it mandatory for sheriffs to honor detainers, which are requests by ICE to hold an arrested immigrant so agents can take custody of them. McFadden said Monday that his office has always "followed the law in notifying ICE,” but it’s up to agents to decide “what they do after that notification.”
A federal immigration crackdown that started in November in Charlotte and spread elsewhere in North Carolina resulted in hundreds of arrests over several days.
Brown has been jailed due to the charges. A federal court ordered last month that he undergo a psychiatric examination to determine whether his legal case can proceed. A similar exam was ordered in state court. Brown’s lawyers for the federal case declined comment. His state court lawyer didn’t respond to emails.
The suspect in the second light-rail attack — identified in federal records as Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia and in state court as Oscar Solarzano — is from Central America and had been transported out the country twice since 2018 — having been convicted of illegal reentry into the U.S., according to an FBI affidavit.
Solarzano is also jailed, and an attorney representing him in state court didn't respond to emails. There is no lawyer listed in his federal case.
The story has corrected the district attorney's last name as Merriweather, not Meriweather.
FILE - Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Vi Lyles speaks during a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in Charlotte, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, left, speaks with state Rep. Eric Ager, D-Buncombe, during a break in the North Carolina House Select Committee on Oversight and Reform meeting at the Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson)
FILE - Community members hold candles as they gather for a vigil honoring the life of Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed on a commuter train last month, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)
FILE - Michael Bermudez of Spartanburg, S.C., holds a sign at a vigil honoring the life of Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed on a commuter train last month, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)
