After grading Nov. 5’s season-opening blowout victory over Fordham a “C,” St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino likely would have handed the Red Storm an “F” for their first-half performance in its successor.
Thanks to an unlikely hero, the hosts secured a 96-73 victory but allowed Quinnipiac to stick around for a little bit longer than the Hall of Famer would’ve hoped.
“Sometimes you get what you deserve,” Pitino said. “We had two of the worst practices this week that we’ve had all season, and I told them, it’s going to bite you in the a— if you practice like that.”
Through 20 minutes of action against the Bobcats, St. John’s certainly bore teeth marks.
Quinnipiac, known for Head Coach Tom Pecora’s patented zone defense, slowed the Red Storm down offensively and eliminated its most dangerous attribute. St. John’s attempted swinging the ball to break down the Bobcats’ approach, which did see positive results.
Deivon Smith (13 pts., 10 ast.) played beneficiary, burying a three-pointer and drawing a foul on another deep attempt, but his efforts couldn’t settle the out-of-sorts Red Storm. It didn’t help that junior Quinnipiac guard Ryan Mabrey connected on all five of his first attempts from beyond the arc, but even when his touch cooled, St. John’s appeared flat.
Through the struggles, RJ Luis Jr. remained relentless. Starting in place of a sick Aaron Scott, the junior forward compensated for his disappointing performance four days ago. Now healthy, his athleticism was on full display by gashing the Bobcats on the offensive glass and creating multiple second-chance opportunities.
Reeling and searching for answers, the Red Storm turned to sophomore sniper Brady Dunlap.
Late in the first half, Dunlap connected on two corner threes, each of which cut Quinnipiac’s lead to four, resulting in a 39-35 deficit at the halftime buzzer.
Out of the break, St. John’s transformed into a team unrecognizeable from before.
Fueled by Dunlap, Luis (24 pts., 13 reb.) and Simeon Wilcher, the Red Storm orchestrated a 15-4 run dating back to the first half and commanding a narrow lead for the first time since the games opening minutes.
As the pace increased, so did the highlights. The lopsided stretch saw a complete baptism from Wilcher (14 pts., 3 reb.). Wrapping around the top of the key, the sophomore guard blasted into the lane and posterized Bobcats big man Paul Otienno.
The play of the afternoon signaled a potential opening of the floodgates, of which Dunlap burst wide open.
On his way to a career day, the 21-year-old rattled in five of his seven three-point attempts, accounting for 20 points and four rebounds while serving as the catalyst in St. John’s’ second-straight win.
“I think Brady’s the reason we blew them out,” Pitino said. “[He] did a super job of moving without the basketball.”
This wasn’t the first glimpse of “Bradymania” that fans have been treated to. Back in January of this year, Dunlap exploded for seven points in the opening two-minutes of a narrow victory over Providence.
But following the best game of his young collegiate tenure, he’s approaching things differently than the 2023-24 campaign.
“I’ve just been trying to keep a smile on my face and just go out there and have fun,” he said. “If I get back to that kid I was in kindergarten, just out there playing with my dad, if I get back to that type of joy, everything’s going to [figure itself out].”
Still undefeated, the Red Storm play its third-straight at Carnesecca Arena on Nov. 13 in a bout with Wagner before a major test against Richard Pitino and New Mexico at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 17.
To access the final box score from the St. John’s victory over Quinnipiac, click here.
