Pitino "Couldn't be more pleased" St. John's Opens Season In Big Way

 

Ian Jackson takes one to the hoop for the first points of St. John's season. Photo by Jason Schott. 

The St. John's Red Storm, ranked No. 5 in the nation, opened with a resounding win, 108-74, over Quinnipiac on Monday night at Carnesecca Arena.

The night began with the unveiling of the Big East Regular Season and Tournament championship banners and a Coach of the Year Award banner for Rick Pitino. The four returning players from last year's team - Zuby Ejiofor, Ruben Prey, Sadiku Ibine Ayo, and Lefteris Liotopolous - received their championship rings.

The championship banners being unveiled. Photo by Jason Schott.

The 108 points St. John's scored - 54 in each half - is the most they have put up in nearly four years, since their 119-61 win over Mississippi Valley State on November 9, 2021.

St. John's raced out to a 19-4 lead in the opening minutes, as Dillon Mitchell slammed one home, after a turnover, at the 15:21 mark of the first half.

The Red Storm cracked the 40-point mark when Zuby Ejiofor completed a three-point play at 6:54 when they took a 40-21 lead. 

St. John's shot 57.6 percent, 19-33 from the field, as they held a 20-point edge, 54-34, at the break.

In the second half, the Red Storm nearly matched that number, as they shot 55.6%, or 20-36 shooting, as they outscored the Big Q 54-40 in the final 20 minutes.

St. John's was led by Dillon Mitchell, who had 18 points on 7-for-9 from the field, with seven rebounds, four steals, and two assists.

Zuby Ejiofor put up 17 points (7-10 FG), six rebounds, and three assists. Ian Jackson had 15 points on a perfect 6-6 from the field, including 3-3 from behind the arc, with one rebound.

Joson Sanon had 14 points (5-9 FG, 1-1 on threes), with two rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Sadiku Ibine Ayo had 10 points on 4-5 shooting, with three rebounds and a steal in 12:59 of action.

PITINO POSTGAME: St. John's Head Coach Rick Pitino addressed the media after the game, and he opened with this statement: "The one thing that stood out to me from an ultra-positive standpoint was our mentality going into the game. From when the ball was thrown up to the end, we had an intense, aggressive mindset. We made our mistakes, as you always do in a first game, but overall. I couldn't be more pleased. Now we're going to play a completely different type of team, one that takes only about eight or nine seconds to shoot every possession, so we'll need to be ready for that. But for now, we'll enjoy this win."

On his message to the team moving forward: "My message was that you don't look at a national championship. You look at every day as a gift to get better. If you do that, someday you might earn the right to wear a ring. I tell them all the time: play this game as it's your last second, your last possession, your last game and you'll get the rewards. Right now, they're doing that."

On the team's defensive intensity: "I thought the two exhibition games helped us a lot. (They were) two excellent teams (Towson and Michigan) that prepared us with different styles of play. Sometimes you look at a stat sheet and it doesn't tell the story. Dylan Darling had six points, but he gave a dominating performance on both ends of the floor. Our first-half defense was outstanding. The second half wasn't as sharp, but overall, I thought our intensity and readiness to play were terrific."