Torch Photo / Sara Kiernan
St. John’s had their four-game winning streak halted in Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon, falling to Boston College 86-80 in the 2023 NABC Brooklyn Showcase. Head coach Rick Pitino spent his Barclays Center debut renewing a classic Big East rivalry, as Boston College was a member of the historic conference from 1979-2005. The Red Storm were unable to retain a double-digit second half lead, dropping them to 6-3 on the season.
In a dreary first half, both teams were far from spectacular. They combined for an atrocious 2-15 from beyond the arc, leading to a low scoring affair at the halftime buzzer. At the break, St. John’s trailed 38-36 despite a solid 12 points and five rebounds for graduate forward Chris Ledlum. Ledlum was slicing through the Eagles’ interior defense, connecting on multiple tough lay-ins over the Boston College 7-footer, Quinten Post.
Post gave the Red Storm fits all night, finishing with a near triple-double. His 14 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists were key in the Eagles’ victory.
The pivotal turning point in the contest came early in the second half, as senior center Joel Soriano carried St. John’s to a 14-0 run, eight courtesy of the big man. Soriano would finish with 21 points and 11 rebounds, securing his fifth double-double of the season.
Torch Photo / Sara Kiernan
Boston College would respond by going on their own game-changing run, outscoring the Red Storm 19-4 with just under five minutes of play. In an attempt to save a loose ball with 9:39 remaining, graduate guard Daniss Jenkins (10 points) burned the team’s final timeout. With no way of stopping the clock, Pitino and company would be forced to make adjustments on the fly. Jenkins would eventually foul out with 2:11 remaining, ending the Red Storm’s comeback hopes.
After the game, Pitino spoke with the media outside of the St. John’s locker room, outraged with his team’s execution down the stretch.
“When you have a 10-point lead, you’re not supposed to lose it,” he said. “We are not going to win until we are committed to defense, and this group is not. It cost us tonight.”
Perimeter defense continues to plague the Red Storm, who are now allowing a staggering 71 points per game. Whether the blame is assigned to lateral quickness, defensive IQ or overall effort, St. John’s will need to solve this issue quickly with conference play just around the corner.
The Red Storm will look to avenge their early-season loss at Madison Square Garden, facing Fordham at the world’s most famous arena on Dec. 16 at 3:30 p.m.
