CINCINNATI — Rick Pitino has in contrast St. John’s to a soccer staff that runs the ball, performs terrific protection and hits a giant cross from time to time.
It didn’t want the lengthy ball Tuesday night time at Cintas Middle. Its stifling protection and relentless rebounding was sufficient for a formidable 82-72 highway victory over Xavier.
Whereas St. John’s 3-point taking pictures stays very a lot a piece in progress — the Crimson Storm have been simply 2-for-16 from past the arc on this win — the Johnnies hammered the Musketeers in each different space for its first Quad 1 win of the season and eighth victory in 9 video games.
The aggression began early with Kadary Richmond and, except for a short shaky interval to finish the primary half, didn’t cease.
It was a beatdown on the glass (50-30) and within the paint (54-30) as St. John’s improved to 4-1 in league play for the second straight season.
RJ Luis and Zuby Ejiofor mixed for 36 factors and 22 rebounds, and Simeon Wilcher tallied 15.
Aaron Scott and Richmond every had 12.
Protection, although, is the place the Johnnies gained this recreation.
They held Xavier, the Massive East’s second-leading 3-point taking pictures staff, to 22.2 p.c taking pictures from 3-point vary and 36.7 p.c general from the sector.
The beginning was sturdy, notably from Richmond.
He scored St. John’s first six factors and it shortly constructed a giant lead, as a lot as 14 at one level.
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The Musketeers helped, lacking 14 of their first 17 photographs. However the Johnnies managed solely 11 factors over the ultimate 7:13, and Xavier received to inside 4 on the break.
The three-pointers nonetheless weren’t falling, St. John’s making just one in 10 tries.
It was additionally harm in transition, outscored 14-2 by Xavier.
It felt just like the loss to Creighton, when St. John’s blew most of an 11-point, first-half lead by halftime and fell some extent quick.
However not like within the Creighton recreation, St. John’s got here out for the second half centered, decided and dynamic on protection.
Over the primary 10 minutes of the interval, it held Xavier to as many made subject objectives as turnovers: 4. It put collectively a 14-4 run that, capped by Scott’s putback on an offensive rebound, pushed the result in a game-high 15 with 10:14 left.
