Six players from St. John’s-Providence game ejected after scuffle

St. John’s vs. Providence turned chippy early in the second half of their men’s basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 14,.

The two teams got into a scuffle after St. John’s forward Bryce Hopkins — a former Providence standout — received a pass during a fast-break opportunity with 14:26 remaining in the second half. When he went to the rim, he was met with a hard foul by Providence’s Duncan Powell, who rammed into Hopkins while attempting the transition block.

Hopkins quickly hopped off the floor and got in Powell’s face before multiple players started a scuffle, delaying play.

Six players were ejected, including Powell, who was called for a Flagrant 2 foul and later threw a punch at Dillon Mitchell. Two Providence players — Powell and Jaylin Sellers — and four St. John’s players — Mitchell, Kelvin Odih, Ruben Prey and Lefteris Liotopoulos — were removed from the game.

The game marked Hopkins’ first game against the Friars since transferring away from the program after last season. Hopkins is averaging 13.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season and was the subject of multiple chants from Providence’s student section.

Powell is in his first season with Providence after transferring from Georgia Tech. He started his career at North Carolina A&T and also spent a season at Sacramento State.

St. John’s (19-5, 12-1 Big East) hasn’t lost in over a month, last losing a game to Providence on Jan. 3. The Red Storm have won 10 straight games and are looking for their 11th in a row — and revenge against the Friars.

Providence (11-14, 4-10) is essentially eliminated from NCAA Tournament contention, barring an unlikely bid-stealing run with a Big East Conference Championship. Losing Sellers certainly won’t help the cause, though, as he’s averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game this season.