Kentucky rallies in second half to beat St. John's 78-66 in first meeting against Pitino since 2016

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Kentucky guard Otega Oweh (00) shoots against St. John's forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino speaks during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against Kentucky, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) — Kentucky guard Otega Oweh (00) shoots against St. John's forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

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3:13 PM on Saturday, December 20

By PAUL NEWBERRY

ATLANTA (AP) — Otega Oweh scored 20 points, Jayden Quaintance made a big first impression and Kentucky stifled No. 22 St. John's in the second half, beating former coach Rick Pitino 78-66 in the opening game of a college basketball doubleheader Saturday.

St. John’s (7-4) had a 41-33 lead after Zuby Ejiofor converted a three-point play with 16:07 remaining. But Kentucky (8-4) turned up the defensive pressure and took control, ripping off a 14-0 run and holding the Red Storm without a field goal for nearly nine minutes.

When Oziyah Sellers finally put one in for St. John’s with 7:10 to go, the Wildcats had pushed out to a double-digit lead. It was Kentucky's most impressive performance in a sluggish season that knocked the powerhouse program out of The Associated Press Top 25.

Pitino, who coached at Kentucky for eight years and led the Wildcats to a 1996 national championship, faced his former school for the first time since 2016 — his final season of a successful but scandal-plagued tenure at Louisville.

The 73-year-old Hall of Famer also got a chance to go against Kentucky coach Mark Pope, who was a captain on Pitino's championship team in Lexington.

Quaintance, a touted transfer from Arizona State, made his Kentucky debut nine month after tearing a knee ligament. He looked full recovered, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

The pro-Kentucky crowd in Atlanta — dubbed “Cat-Lanta” for the Wildcats' long-time success in the city — erupted when Quaintance headed to the scorer's table five minutes into the game.

He drew another huge cheer when he banked in his first shot, and yet another when he swatted away a shot by Sellers. During the second-half surge, he scored off an offensive rebound to give the Wildcats' a lead they would not relinquish.

St. John's shot just 33% from the field (17 of 51). Bryce Hopkins led the Red Storm with 13 points.

Up next

St. John's hosts Harvard on Tuesday.

Kentucky returns home to face Bellarmine on Tuesday.

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