No. 17 St. John’s improved its win streak to 12 straight after going to the final buzzer at Marquette on Wednesday. The 76-70 triumph gives the Red Storm sole possession of first place in the Big East.
This is because conference rival Creighton upset No. 5 UConn 91-84. The Huskies were tied with the Johnnies for first place and held the tiebreaker in the season series.
In a defensive-heavy affair, Bryce Hopkins led St. John’s with 23 points and 10 rebounds. The senior forward sealed the win on a successful trip to the charity stripe, where he made both free throws after snagging a defensive rebound.
The Red Storm found themselves at the free throw quite often, as they made 67 %of their attempts. They also found success on defense thanks to Zuby Ejiofor.
The senior big man had the Golden Eagles’ number, as he blocked three shots and snagged six rebounds. This was in addition to 10 points for an inefficient performance.
However, his defensive impact enabled St. John’s to force Marquette to commit 10 turnovers.
The Red Storm also benefited from a slightly better three-point shooting, going 8-for-25 from beyond the arc. This is in comparison to their opponents, who shot 29% from three and 43% from the field.
Nigel James Jr. helped Marquette build some momentum in the second half. The freshman guard scored three times straight, as the Golden Eagles went on an 11-0 run to kick off the half.
“When momentum swung their way, my message to the guys was we’ve been there before,” St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino said during a postgame press conference. “James is tough to guard because he’s not going to stop until he gets to the rim.”
The home team remained on the offensive until Oziyah Sellers and Ejiofor brought St. John’s back into the ballgame. Hopkins found his shot in a key support role, scoring five straight points.
Joson Sanon, who started over Sellers, hit a clutch deep three during this stretch. Pitino said he made the switch to help Sanon gain some more confidence after being benched for Dillon Mitchell.
Sanon’s triple led to the Johnnies taking control of the ballgame, despite Marquette finding its way to the basket. James and Chase Ross could’ve sent the game into overtime if it wasn’t for Ejiofor rejecting them at the basket.
With 12 consecutive wins, St. John’s remains on top of the conference before Saturday’s much-anticipated rematch with Creighton at Madison Square Garden.
