Syracuse and St. John’s to Square off for the Championship of the Vivid Seats Empire Classic

Syracuse and St. John’s to Square off for the Championship of the Vivid Seats Empire Classic

November 22, 2022

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – For the 92nd time, Syracuse and St. John’s will meet, this time for the championship of the Vivid Seats Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project presented by Continental Tire at Barclays Center.

The two old rivals got to this point by winning their semifinal match-ups on Monday. Syracuse received a career-high 31 points from Joseph Girard III in recording a 74-71 overtime victory against Richmond. 

The senior guard was joined in double-figures by freshmen Judah Mintz (16 points) and Chris Bell (11 points) along with Jesse Edwards (10 points). 

Syracuse led the entire first half, but the second half and overtime saw 16 lead changes, including two in overtime.

Isaiah Bigelow led Richmond with 17 points, his career-best third straight game with 15 or more points. Jason Nelson added 14 points and a team-high six assists, while Tyler Burton scored 13 points with 15 rebounds, the most by a Spider since January 3, 2018 (De’Monte Buckingham – 16 at Fordham). Jason Roche added 12 points on four 3-pointers as Richmond made a season-high 13 shots from behind the three-point line.

St. John’s advanced to the title game with a 78-72 win over Temple.

Montez Mathis led the Johnnies with 16 points and Joel Soriano posted 15 points and 12 rebounds. David Jones went for 14 points and seven rebounds and Andre Curbelo had 13 points.

St. John’s dominated the inside play, outscoring Temple 52-26 in the paint.

Jamille Reynolds recorded 21 points and eight rebounds to lead the Owls. Khalif Battle netted 17 points and Damian Dunn and Zach Hicks had 11 points apiece.

Tuesday will see a renewal of rivalries, beginning with the consolation match at 7:00pm between Temple and Richmond. The old Atlantic 10 rivals have split their 22 previous appearances.

At 9:00pm, Syracuse and St. John’s will vie for the Vivid Seats Empire Classic title with the Orange holding a 51-40 series advantage over the Red Storm. Both games will air on ESPN2.

Syracuse is making its fourth championship game appearance, having won titles in 2004 and 2009. St. John’s reached the 2000 championship game.

Tickets to the Vivid Seats Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project presented by Continental Tire can be purchased at SeatGeek.com.

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