The Johnnies beat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 89-78 in double overtime during an exhibition game raising money for pediatric cancer research through the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund at The V Foundation.

The first game of the Rick Pitino era started off with high energy as the arena was packed with fans, students and spectators. Pitino put together his starting five as Nahiem Alleyne, Daniss Jenkins, Chris Ledlum, Glenn Taylor Jr. and captain Joel Soriano.

The Johnnies initiated a full-court press early on in the first half, forcing multiple turnovers by the Scarlet Knights. The Johnnies had 13 fast breaks, 10 points from the paint and 16 points off the bench. 

Pitino was very vocal on the sidelines, constantly pacing back and forth even though the team was up the entire first half. Every available player checked into the game. The Johnnies were short handed with Jordan Dingle out with a left shoulder injury and RJ Luis and Cruz Davis with broken hands were all not available for the game. 

As the clock ticked down, the Johnnies went on a 14-4 run with the Knights not scoring for nine minutes. 

The first half ended with a standing ovation from the crowd with 15 seconds left on the clock. The Johnnies were up 42-23. The game was working at the Johnnies’ pace, quick and attentive to every play.

The second half was a different story. 

St. John’s saw multiple errors on the floor that were the result of rushed plays and a tired defense. Soriano had a chance to close the game out but missed two free throws with under a minute left in regulation. 

By the end of regulation, the game was tied 67-67. Even though this game was just an exhibition match, overtime started quickly. 

Going back onto the court, the original five started off slowly trying to regain control of the court. After already playing a full regulation game, many of the players look winded on continuing the fast-pace play.

With less than ten seconds left in overtime, Ledlum passed to Alleyne who missed his first take and Ledlum rebounded it back to him to sink the three-pointer to tie the game and move it to double overtime.

In double overtime, the Johnnies were ready to end the battle against the Knights. The men were able to take back the lead within the first minute and a half with the score becoming 78-75. As the overtime continued, Taylor Jr. and Soriano held down the fort on the court to finally finish the game. 

Taylor Jr. and Alleyne spoke to the media after the game about the arena’s environment and lessons learned from their first Red Storm appearance.

“I felt like that was great, especially with a team of 14 guys who haven’t played one game with each other,” Taylor Jr. said about preparing for the upcoming season. “That’s the only that will help us get in the way.” 

For Alleyne, the game did not feel like it was an exhibition game. “It felt like a Big East Tournament game, how all the fans were into it,” Alleyne said. “I was excited about that.”  

“There was a lot of people in the crowd and now, just keep coming out there,” Alleyne continued. “We’re gonna keep proving to [the fans] that we deserve it.” 

After the game, Pitino spoke to the media and said something many would not have thought a coach would say following a double overtime.

“I told the team ‘I rather have lost than win by 20,’” Pitino said. “Because of all the lessons you can learn with a close game, we did so much with just a great experience.”

A double overtime match showed Pitino that there was much more room for growth on the team. “[The team showcased] about 50% of our potential, which is great,” Pitino said.

The home opener of the season will be on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. against Stony Brook.