Big Win on Johnnies Day

Written By: Jack Sargente

Coming off a bounce-back win over Georgetown last Wednesday, St. John’s was looking to get a much-needed big-time win over the #15 Creighton Bluejays. The stage was set, the fans came to the Garden wearing all white, and coach Pitino even brought out his all-white suit for the occasion. All that was left to do was for the Johnnies to take the court and get their first true statement win of the season. 

While many factors were favoring the Red Storm, it would not be an easy feat to take down the Bluejays; who own one of the top offenses in the country and were coming off a win against the #1 UCONN Huskies. However, the Johnnies came out with fire in their eyes, jumping out to an early 10-point lead just ten minutes into the noon matchup. Despite the Bluejays tying the game up at 22, St. John’s was able to punch back and take a 41-28 lead into halftime. If you have watched any Red Storm basketball games this season, you know no lead is safe, as they have blown several games in which they have led at the halftime break. But St. John’s star point guard Daniss Jenkins and company would not allow that narrative to continue any longer. 

The Johnnies would not allow Creighton to cut the deficit to anything closer than 5 points in the second half as they were finally able to grab that elusive marquee win. After coming so close against top teams like UCONN and Marquette, multiple times at that, they recorded their first statement win of the season. Daniss Jenkins, who has been carrying this Johnnies squad for the better part of this calendar year, put together another star performance as he tallied 27 points and made all the right plays down the stretch. Along with him, his backcourt mate Jordan Dingle continued his improved play as of late as he followed up his season-high 22 points against Georgetown with an impressive 18-point performance on Sunday. The backcourt duo led the team in scoring; however, the true X-factor for the Johnnies was forward Glenn Taylor Jr. In 32 minutes of play, Taylor was able to grab 10 rebounds while dishing out a key six assists. But most importantly, his defensive effort played a big role in holding one of the better offenses in the nation in check, as he shut down sharpshooter Baylor Scheierman and held him to 25% shooting on the day. 

Just when it appeared that St. John’s season was over after a crushing second-half collapse to Seton Hall, they have bounced back off the mat and are back in the fight. Now, giving themselves absolutely no room for error, they will have to win their final three regular season games and make some noise in the Big East Tournament. Their journey to the NCAA Tournament continues Wednesday as they’ll go on the road to face Butler in a game that will most likely decide the fate of their season.