It was ugly. It was sloppy. It was chaotic.

But in the end, Saturday night’s victory may help St. John’s moving forward because, for the first time this year against a power-conference opponent, the Johnnies prevailed despite a bad offensive evening.

“This was a great example for our players,” coach Rick Pitino said after the slugfest of a 63-58 win in front of 14,799 at the Garden. “They didn’t have it tonight offensively, but they can realize, to play our poorest offensive game, but still win was the greatest lesson to take away.”

Nine days after the disappointing loss to Auburn to cap a 1-2 trip to Las Vegas, the Johnnies faced another SEC foe. Like in the Auburn game, they led by double digits, but this time were able to finish out the win to snap a seven-game losing streak against teams from the powerhouse league.

Dylan Darling scored all seven of his points in the final four minutes, and Zuby Ejiofor was a monster on the defensive end as 23rd-ranked St. John’s (5-3) survived a season-worst shooting display.

St. John’s hardly resembled the team that entered the game ranked eighth in offensive efficiency.

They shot 34 percent from the field, missed 10 free throws, committed 20 turnovers and were 4-of-22 from long range.

The defense was the star, forcing 20 Ole Miss turnovers, and St. John’s held the Rebels to 10 second-chance points, a step in the right direction.

Joson Sanon attempts a shot during the St. John’s 63-58 win over Ole Miss at the Garden on Dec. 6, 2025. Robert Sabo for the NY Post

During timeouts, Ejiofor implored his teammates to ignore their offensive struggles and continue to dig in on the defensive end.

St. John’s held Ole Miss (5-4) to a season low in points.

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“There are areas we need to improve on. Our offense was a little bit stagnant, like Coach Pitino said,” Ejiofor said. “The biggest thing was our enthusiasm on defense for most of the game, which is what I was really proud of.

“I tell the guys all the time, defense was our bread and butter last year. We didn’t shoot the ball well at all today, but the game was won on the defensive end. I felt like we wanted it a little bit more.”

Oziyah Sellers attempts a shot during St. John’s win over Ole Miss. Robert Sabo for the NY Post

St. John’s led by as many as 15 in the first half and 14 deep into the second, but never could put away the Rebels.

They were ahead by only four late, and Darling came up big in the clutch, starting with his driving layup with four minutes to go.

“I thought he won the game by breaking the pressure,” Pitino said. “Where everybody was nervous, he wasn’t.”

Ejiofor notched a career-high eight blocks, along with 15 points, nine rebounds and three steals.

Joson Sanon (3) defends during the St. John’s win over Ole Miss. Robert Sabo for the NY Post

Malik Dia had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Ole Miss, which has dropped four in a row. Rebels co-leading scorer and former St. John’s guard AJ Storr was held to two points on 0-for-6 shooting.

It was a disjointed first half that saw St. John’s in control, up by as many as 15 but only by eight at the break.

The Red Storm shot 33 percent from the field and committed eight turnovers, but defended well and turned 13 Ole Miss turnovers into 16 points.

Ejiofor was held to two points and missed all three of his field goal attempts, but he made a difference on the other end of the floor with three steals and six blocks.

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Up 15 with 3:59 to go, St. John’s was outscored by seven the rest of the period. Ole Miss twice converted on a second chance, a bugaboo of the Red Storm so far this season.

The second half started poorly, Ole Miss quickly getting within five and creating anxious moments.

St. John’s offense was stagnant and it couldn’t make open shots. But the defense refused to break, and eventually the lead got back up to 14 following a Sadiku Ibine Ayo 3-pointer with 8:06 to go.

Ole Miss reeled off the next 10 points, making it a close game late. In crunch time, though, St. John’s was able to make the necessary plays to close out the win.

“Our defense hasn’t been as good as it was tonight,” Pitino said. “Now we just got to get our offense back.”