Fresh off their first placement in the AP Top 25 Men’s Basketball Poll since 2019, the St. John’s men’s basketball team escaped a near-upset at the hands of Wagner College. The Red Storm was far from perfect in the 66-45 victory, but a late surge eliminated any chance of embarrassment. 

Just as they did in their previous two blowout victories, St. John’s didn’t look the part of a nationally ranked squad in the contest’s opening 20 minutes. It took over two minutes for the Red Storm to take the lid off the basket, courtesy of a Simeon Wilcher (9 pts., 4 reb.) three-pointer.

But the sophomore guard’s bucket wouldn’t signal an onslaught. Instead, St. John’s didn’t crack double-digits on the scoreboard until the 13-minute mark. 

As the offensive woes continued, Head Coach Rick Pitino wasn’t discouraged by the lackluster performance against an inferior opponent. 

“Players will get tight in this type of game because you’re supposed to win and everybody’s expecting it,” he said. “Wagner knew how to play. [They’re] very well coached.”

Compounded by the quiet scoring output, the Red Storm couldn’t stop setting itself up for failure. Despite holding on to a 31-22 advantage at the halftime buzzer, that number should’ve been much higher. 

Wilcher led all scorers with only seven points, St. John’s shot a measly 13-22 from the charity stripe and were outrebounded 8-2 on the offensive glass.  

Out of the break, things began looking bleak. 

Wagner orchestrated an 8-2 run behind a balanced Seahawks attack featuring Javier Ezquerra and Zae Blake, cutting the Red Storm’s lead to just three. Backed into a tight corner, it appeared St. John’s was on the brink of a shocking upset loss. 

That’s when Pitino’s big offseason addition proved his value. 

Kadary Richmond (2 pts., 7 ast.) blocked, rebounded and assisted the ball to Deivon Smith (9 pts., 8 reb.) in transition, who buried a three-pointer that breathed life back into Carnesecca Arena. 

Richmond’s all-around sequence served as the Red Storm’s catalyst, finally awakening the group listed as the nation’s 22nd best. Smith’s trey ball ignited an 18-0 run, largely built behind the arc. 

Following the Utah transfer’s lead, Zuby Ejiofor (8 pts., 6 reb.), Aaron Scott (11 pts., 1 reb.) and Brady Dunlap (9 pts.) connected from deep. The former added a low-post fadeaway jumper off the backboard, drawing a foul and completing the hoop plus the harm. 

In just five minutes, St. John’s shifted the narrative away from “upset watch.”

The Red Storm’s game-changing run ballooned up to 26-3, allowing St. John’s to conclude their third-straight blowout victory with the reserves on the floor. 

“We showed toughness and pulled together,” Richmond said. “I’d say that’s a stepping stone for us in the right direction, and we just got to get better.” 

In the wake of an ugly win, Ejiofor remained as optimistic as his co-captain.

“I thought we played a lot better [in the second half],” he said. “We were locked in and ended up winning the game.”

Now 3-0, Pitino and company shift focus to Nov. 17’s clash with Richard Pitino and New Mexico, pitting father against son at the Red Storm’s 2024-25 Madison Square Garden debut. 

To access the final box score from the St. John’s victory over Wagner College, click here.