Torch Photo / James Williams
Coming off of their first loss of the season in double-overtime to No. 12 Baylor Thursday night, St. John’s showed no remorse in a 80-55 victory over the University of Virginia (UVA).
After losing an 18-point lead to the Bears, the Red Storm offense made sure of eliminating that factor early on against the Cavaliers. They jumped on top of every opportunity defensively, picking up 10 steals in the opening 20 minutes, and 13 overall.
Everything was working for the Red Storm. They lead in field goal percentage (52.5), three-point conversations (41.7%) and most importantly in rebounds with 34 compared to Virginia’s 26.
With a much-needed boost in speed and morale, Head Coach Rick Pitino dipped deep into his bench early with Sadiku Ibine-Ayo to shake things up for the Red Storm. The junior forward has only played in three games so far this season with 22 total points.
The substitution into the starting lineup proves a very important aspect of depth for this St. John’s team. Pitino also deployed Vince Iwuchukwu (4 pts.) and Ruben Prey (4 pts.) early on, with the former’s first minutes of the game leading to a sequence of highlight-reel dunks from three different Johnnies.
St. John’s came out of the gate with a vengeance and an abundance of high energy from last night’s 50-minute game. They went on to shoot 57% from the field with 11 fast break points and 20 points in the paint for a comfortable 13-point lead going into the locker room.
Defensively, they held Virginia to just four points in the paint in the opening stanza.
“Let’s Go Johnnies” chants flooded the Baha Mar Convention Center once again, this time sticking through for two halves.
Despite yesterday’s second-half implosion, St. John’s bounced back. RJ Luis Jr. produced a masterclass showing with a team-high 18 points and three rebounds. Kadary Richmond followed close with 12 points of his own, picking up four assists in the process.
The energy was contagious for St. John’s. Whether it was an alley-oop slam dunk from six-foot guard Deivon Smith (10 pts., 10 reb., 8 ast.), or a nifty lane breakthrough of multiple defenders from Simeon Wilcher (7 pts.), the Red Storm proved their unique athleticism on the court.
More importantly, they took care of the ball and forced Virginia into 16 total turnovers — converting 18 points for the Red Storm.
While it wasn’t a significant jump from yesterday’s 16-28 free-throw shooting, the Johnnies improved with six made from the charity stripe on 10 attempts.
When the going got tough, this team got tougher. They produced one of their most defensively sound and all-around team wins of the season — and picked up a confidence boost for when they finish up their Bahamas stint against Georgia on Nov. 24 at Imperial Arena.
To access the final box score from the St. John’s win, click here.
