It might just be time to raise the bar on what St. John’s could be this season.
The Red Storm followed Wednesday night’s upset victory over No. 3 Villanova by prevailing through a rollercoaster of a game at Providence and scoring a 92-81 Big East victory at the Friars’ 1,854-seat Alumni Hall on campus.
St. John’s (13-7, 7-6) extended its winning streak to six games including five straight Big East wins for the first time since the 2013-14 season. It also has won its last four conference road games, something it’s not done since the 1998-99 season when it reached the Elite Eight.
The Red Storm certainly has played its way into the NCAA Tournament conversation and, though picked ninth in a preseason poll of Big East coaches, it sits percentage points out of fifth place in the conference.
"Coach (Mike Anderson) taught us to stay humble about these wins because a pat on the back could set you back," said Rasheem Dunn, who finished with 13 points and tied a career-high with 10 assists. "We think each game is a big game because it’s the next game on our schedule. . . . Just go in and try to get better every game."
The Storm had their best shooting performance of the season, making 59% from the floor including 10-for-19 shooting on three-pointers. Still that belies an odd truth: St. John’s went on the rollercoaster ride because it became too reliant on a spectacular offensive showing. After building a 17-point lead in the first half and taking a 49-41 advantage into the break, it hemorrhaged early in the second half when the shots didn’t fall and actually fell behind 56-51 just four minutes into the second half.
That’s when St. John’s rediscovered what it had been in this winning streak: a team that thrives on defensive intensity, great depth and fearlessness.
St. John’s held the Friars (9-10, 5-8) to 7-for-20 shooting with seven turnovers during the final 16 minutes, regaining control by answering Providence’s 15-2 run with a 15-1 burst and then rolled to the victory.
"We were back trying to win with offense," Anderson said he told his team at the half. "Just think about it. If your defense continues to stay like we’ve been playing – and you’re shooting the basketball – man someone is going to be in trouble. So we got a little more defense in the second half."
Leading scorers Julian Champagnie and Posh Alexander almost couldn’t miss in a fast-paced start to the game. They combined to score the first 23 St. John’s points on 9-for-10 shooting. They had the first nine points in a 19-0 run for 31-14 lead.
Champagnie had 19 of his 24 points and Alexander 15 of his 21 points in the first half.
In the 15-1 second-half run, Champagnie had five points and Dunn and Alexander four apiece, but it was the ensembles that finished the job. Isaih Moore had six of his nine points and Dylan Addae-Wusu had six of his eight points in the last eight minutes.
In one stretch Moore scored on three straight Storm possessions, twice on long passes Dunn rifled through the Friars’ defense into the low block. And Addae-Wusu just repelled defenders on a couple of drives.
"They’re sharing and sharing is caring," Anderson said. "They’re playing to win – that’s the bottom line. . . . They play the right way, which is unselfish. And when you’re getting it from different places it adds up. And it makes the game fun."
Roger Rubin covers high school and college sports for Newsday.
February 07, 2021 at 05:51AM
https://www.newsday.com/sports/college/st-johns/st-john-s-red-storm-providence-1.50144956
Red-hot Red Storm extend winning streak to six games - Newsday
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