Since Rick Pitino made a change to promote Dillon Mitchell into the starting lineup and form a three-man frontcourt with Bryce Hopkins and Zuby Ejiofor ahead of St. John’s’ comeback win over Butler on January
6, the Red Storm have unlocked another level and gone undefeated against their Big East foes. A little over three weeks later, the Bulldogs didn’t enjoy the same grace of a lead at any point in their next encounter.
St. John’s squashed Butler by a score of 92-70 to extend their winning streak to seven games on Wednesday night, putting on a fluid and balanced offensive performance in which the Red Storm collectively shot 56.3% from the field, 9-of-20 from three, and had four players score 13 points or more, as well as seven players put up 8 points or more.
The Red Storm set the tone by scoring their first 20 points in the paint to take an early 14-point lead at the 11:11 mark. Butler chipped that advantage down to five points with an Azavier Robinson layup at the 4:28 mark, but that was as close as they would get for the rest of the night. Missing their first seven tries from three-point range, the Red Storm closed the first half by making five consecutive triples to enter the break with a 43-29 lead.
Butler was much sharper shooting the rock in the second half, hitting 51.9% from the field and 3-of-5 from three after halftime, but St. John’s continued hammering them to the tune of 49 second-half points on 63% shooting. The Red Storm expanded their lead out to 29 points before Butler enjoyed the consolation prize of a 7-0 run to end the game.
On a night with multiple standouts, no player commanded the game like Dillon Mitchell, who recorded his third double-double in the last four games with 14 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and three jaw-dropping blocks.
Zuby Ejiofor worked off Mitchell perfectly once again, logging 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting to put him one free throw away from 1,000 points at St. John’s, six rebounds, a team-high five assists, and another three blocks. The frontcourt pairing did allow Michael Ajayi to record a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double, but Butler’s star forward was held to 6-of-16 shooting against the Red Storm’s bash brothers.
Often scrutinized sophomores Joson Sanon and Ian Jackson were in a flow on Wednesday night. Jackson led all St. John’s scorers with 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting, 3-of-6 from three, and dished out three assists. Sanon scored in double figures for the first time since facing Georgetown on New Year’s Eve, racking up 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 3-of-3 from deep.
With the win, St. John’s has started Big East play with a 9-1 record in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. Following a six-day break, the Red Storm will face the DePaul Blue Demons (12-8, 4-5 Big East) in Chicago on Tuesday, February 3 (8:00 p.m., Peacock).
