All St. John’s needed was a bit of home cooking to bounce back after a disappointing trip to the Bahamas last weekend.
The Johnnies’ three-game stint in the Caribbean was dramatic to say the least; they dropped their first two games of the season thanks to a miraculous buzzer-beater by No. 17 (then No. 13) Baylor and a crushing 66-63 upset by Georgia in a standalone game. St. John’s did not return empty-handed though, the loss to Georgia brought some off-court controversy.
Head Coach Rick Pitino chose to sit Deivon Smith for the final 13 minutes of play against Georgia, a decision that Smith reportedly did not handle well. Smith will face no suspension but did see his playing time cut against Harvard as his punishment.
Pitino turned to Simeon Wilcher (12 pts., 3 reb.) to take Smith’s spot in the starting lineup, a move which added more versatility and shooting. Jaiden Glover (11 pts., 2 reb., 3 ast.) was given the most playing time of his season in Smith’s absence against Harvard, an opportunity that Glover rose to. He facilitated Smith’s playmaking duties and hit three three-pointers, a career-high for the freshman.
Wilcher’s ability to stretch the floor against Harvard’s zone defense made an impact immediately, allowing Kadary Richmond (18 pts., 8 reb., 4 ast) and RJ Luis Jr. (24 pts., 10 rebs., 4 ast) to drive to the lane with ease and score the opening six points in three possessions. Wilcher then hit his first three of the game to cap off a 9-0 run in the opening minutes for the Johnnies.
St. John’s offense possessed complete control early in the game, playing fast by scoring off of Richmond drives or slowing the speed down by Luis forcing fouls from Harvard.
Luis took three trips to the free throw line in the opening seven minutes, converting on five of six opportunities from the charity stripe.
The Red Storm did not stop this impressive offensive showing in this first half and continued to pile on three-pointers. Glover hit two threes on two straight possessions to push the lead to 24-8, the Johnnies’ largest lead of the half.
Despite the Crimson clawing their way back into this game and cutting the lead to seven at 33-26, St. John’s quickly swung momentum back into their favor thanks to Wilcher hitting a three-pointer to finish a 7-2 run.
This run ended the first half and the Johnnies held a manageable 40-28 advantage.
At halftime, the key to success for the Red Storm was clear in the box score. They were winning on the glass with 21 total rebounds against Harvard’s 17. St. John’s ball movement supremacy was evident, having nine assists to Harvard’s five.
The most important statistic at halftime was Harvard’s leading scorer Robert Hinton (11 pts., 3 reb., 5-14 FG) being held to four points. The Johnnies’ defense forced the ball out of Hinton’s hands or created difficult shots for the freshman guard, as Harvard’s offense needed to make some halftime adjustments to stay in the game.
The Crimson were smothered in the opening minutes of the half, having four straight empty possessions as the Johnnies scored six points and led by a game-high 18.
After this early onslaught, both teams settled in and traded baskets for the rest of the half. St. John’s never led by less than eight points and cruised to a double-digit victory at 77-64, as they got back in the winning column to boost their record to 6-2.
The Johnnies will stay at home next and face Kansas State in Carnesecca Arena at 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 7, kicking off the Big 12-Big East Challenge Tournament.
To access the final box score from the St. John’s win, click here.
