The St. John’s Red Storm took down the No. 15 Creighton Bluejays, 80-66, at the second annual “Johnnies Day” festivities today. The Red Storm showcased a remarkable transformation, fueled by a Rick Pitino tirade following a Feb. 18 loss to Seton Hall.
Madison Square Garden was covered in white, as the game was complete with a pep rally, free merchandise and games. Even Rick Pitino himself was dressed in a white Armani suit, labeled as “sharp” by Daniss Jenkins and rest of the team.
The game tipped off with an immediate shot by graduate guard Jordan Dingle (18 pts.). This shot set the tone for the rest of the game, after the guard’s impressive 22-point performance vs. Georgetown earlier this week.
The Red Storm seized a lead in those opening seconds and never looked back. Areas of concern highlighted by Pitino, such as speed and toughness, seemed to be forgotten. Freshman guard Simeon Wilcher increased playing time and made his mark, tallying six points in 12 minutes of play.
Junior guard Trey Alexander held down the front for the Bluejays, totaling 31 points and shooting 51% from the field. The first half ended strong with the Johnnies going on a 17-3 run against the Bluejays who trailed 41-28.
This is usually when the story goes downhill. But today was different.
After the half, the same momentum was seen from every possession on the floor. Where the team historically loses stamina, they collectively ran back and forth with some huge defensive blocks from graduate forward Chris Ledlum, who contributed seven points and six rebounds.
While the Bluejays fought to narrow the lead, senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner’s six blocks with 5:46 left in the game hinted at a potential comeback. Jenkins went on a 9-0 run himself to pull the lead to 72-56 with under three minutes in the game, to end the game in a much-need victory for the Johnnies.
As the shot clock counted down, the Garden erupted with cheers; something that fans have been waiting to see all season. Reflecting on the team’s journey, Jenkins emphasized the team’s unity after Pitino’s vocal misgivings garnered national attention.
“After [last Sunday] we were either going to lay down or come together,” he said. “Today, we came together. We were one tight fist.”
Pitino started off by applauding the team’s offensive performance, with the team having 15 offensive rebounds.
“When you have 24 assists and only three turnovers, that’s a special offensive night,”
Junior forward Glenn Taylor Jr. (4 pts., 10 rebs.) also spoke on his increased role in today’s game, “I’m really just trying to fight for my guys on the court, no matter if I play one minute or 20 minutes.”
Jenkins, who led the Red Storm with 27 points and six assists while going 12-18 on field goals, spoke about his vision for the team that he finally saw in motion today.
“Every possession, we executed the game plan for 40 minutes,” Jenkins said. “It was really just [being] proud of each other that we came out and had that mindset like we were saying, basically it’s a pride game. We stand up, show what we are made of, show our true character.”
The Johnnies hope to extend a two-game win streak as they go on the road against Butler this Wednesday. The Johnnies have previously beaten the Bulldogs 77-61.
