St. John's Sizzles In Second Half To Run Away From William & Mary

 

Dylan Mitchell took it to the hoop for a layup that made it 23-19 St. John's at the 9:32 mark of the first half. Photo by Jason Schott.

The St. John's Red Storm used one of their trademark second half surges to beat William & Mary, 93-60, on Saturday night at Carnesecca Arena.

St. John's, ranked 13th in the nation, is now 2-1 on the season, and they were led by five players in double-figures.

Joson Sanon had 15 points off the bench on 6-12 shooting, including 1-4 from behind the arc, with three rebounds, two steals, and an assist. Bryce Hopkins also had 15 points (6-11 FG, 1-4 threes), with four rebounds and two assists. 

Dylan Darling had 13 points (5-10 FG), five rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Oziyah Sellers notched 13 points, as well, on 5-11 from the field, including 3-6 from behind the arc, with two rebounds and two assists. Zuby Ejiofor had 11 points (3-6 FG, 5-6 free throws), five rebounds, four assists, and a steal.

William & Mary nearly played even with the Red Storm in the first half, as they were within three, at 34-31, with 1:40 left, but St. John's took a 39-34 lead into halftime.

The Red Storm opened the second half with an 8-0 burst, capped by a Zuby Ejiofor second-chance dunk at the 17:45 mark, that made it 47-34.

After a William & Mary basket, St. John's reeled off a 19-0 run to open up a  30-point lead, at 66-36, on a Lefteris Liotopoulos jumper that he got past tight defense by Kilian Brockhoff. Who loves ya baby!

Lefteris Liotopoulos watching his shot at the three-point line past the W&M defender in front of him. Photo by Jason Schott.

St. John's led by as many as 33 at multiple points until their largest lead of 35, at 93-58, on a pair of Sanon free throws with 31 seconds left.

The Red Storm shot an even 50 percent (20-40) in the second half, but just 3-15 from behind the arc. For the game, St. John's shot 48 percent (36-75) overall and 21.4% (6-28) on three-pointers.

William & Mary was led by Reese Miller, who had 11 points on 4-8 shooting, including 2-5 on three-pointers, with two rebounds and two assists, in 23:59 off the bench. He was their only player in double figures, followed by Kyle Pulliam and Jo'el Emanuel, who had eight points apiece.

PITINO POSTGAME: St. John's Head Coach Rick Pitino addressed the media after the game, and he opened with this statement: "We were practicing really well all week and then I put in (William & Mary's) full-court pressure on every shot. We were planning on starting Oziyah (Sellers) and Lefty (Lefteris Liotopoulos) and when we put in their full-court press, we were turning the ball over constantly. The white team was destroying the red team simulating their pressure. So, I walked upstairs and told the staff: 'It's not going to work. We're going to start Dylan (Darling) against this pressure.'"

On Dylan Darling: "He's 5-foot-11 and tough as nails. His heart is a lot bigger than his size. He thinks he's the best player on the court. He has no fear at all of who he's playing against."

On the importance of physicality when facing top programs: "I think we are a finesse team. Unless we get physical, we're going to have a difficult time with teams like Iowa State, Georgetown, or Houston. There's nothing wrong with being a finesse team, but we've got to get a little tougher with the scouting reports."

On team chemistry: "They're new to each other and they're learning each other. We're just going to take Zuby's philosophy: one practice at a time. Just try to get better each day. Don't look ahead to a big opponent, don't look ahead to the NCAA Tournament, just get better."