Just nine days out of St. John’s Men’s Basketball’s season-opener against Fordham, the Red Storm picked up its second straight exhibition victory in a 64-46 win over Towson. The 12 p.m. matchup at Carnesecca Arena benefitted Autism Speaks, the largest autism research organization nationwide.
Head coach Rick Pitino’s preseason announcement that this year’s roster will utilize “multiple starting lineups” proved true for the matchup with the Tigers. Deivon Smith, Jaiden Glover, Brady Dunlap, Aaron Scott and Vince Iwuchukwu were the Storm’s first five, a decision that proved to be a successful one.
Despite a low-scoring opening stretch, Iwuchukwu shined as the focal point of Pitino’s offense. Towson simply didn’t have the height to match up with the 7-foot-1 big man, leading to two early hook shots and one commanding swat from the USC transfer.
St. John’s began to work the ball from the inside out, creating three-point opportunities for the Red Storm’s wings. Scott and Dunlap benefitted from the packed interior, generating a 9-0 run from beyond the arc on their own and forcing the Tigers’ head coach Pat Skerry to burn a quick time-out.
While it didn’t translate to the points column, Smith was virtually everywhere. He displayed sharp facilitating in the first half through his two assists and unreal athleticism for his size that resulted in three rebounds and one block.
Eventually Pitino’s three confirmed starters, team captains Kadary Richmond and Zuby Ejiofor and second-year guard Simeon Whilcher, entered the game around the 13-minute mark. Despite the bench boost, St. John’s appeared out of sorts offensively, allowing Towson to remain within striking reach. The Tigers couldn’t capitalize, though, and their abysmal 1-of-11 three-point shooting retained a 31-22 Red Storm advantage at the halftime break.
The second half played witness to more physicality and chippiness. Pitino opted not to begin the period the same way he did the first, sending out a lineup featuring Kadary Richmond, Simeon Wilcher, RJ Luis, Iwuchukwu and Scott. Towson’s slow-paced playstyle prevented St. John’s from opening the floodgates, but the Red Storm never appeared to be in jeopardy of losing its lead.
There was no shortage of referee interference, highlighted by two technical foul assignments. Smith was tabbed with one following a no-call on a Luis layup attempt, and Tigers guard Dylan Williamson got hit with another just minutes later for jawing with Smith. The incidents served as the most entertaining aspect of the second half up until the six-minute mark, when Pitino decided to unleash his signature press.
Towson committed 17 turnovers in the second half, and while St. John’s couldn’t muster much offensively, they showcased their ability to win in different ways. During Oct. 17’s match with Rutgers, the Red Storm pulled out the victory in a high scoring affair. Saturday afternoon, they bested the Tigers in a low-scoring slugfest.
The defensive clinic St. John’s demonstrated impressed their hall-of-fame head coach postgame.
“Towson is a very well coached team, very good defensively, very physical, and we got a lot out of playing against them,” Pitino said. “Towson pace-wise is one of the slower teams in the country. We wanted to be the better defensive team against an outstanding defensive team.”
Concluding preseason play, the Red Storm now shifts its focus to Nov. 4’s 6:30 p.m. season opener against Fordham at Carnesecca Arena.
