St. John’s University win epic game against West Virginia

The opening game for the season at Madison Square Garden was definitely one folks will remember! In The last minute of the game, the score was tied at 68-68. Ultimately, in the final seconds of the game, Rasheem Dunn scored the winning basket--two free throws, winning the game 70-68 for the Red Storm.

West Virginia University (WVU) entered the game with an undefeated record of 7-0, compared to St.John’s University, who entered the game with 7-2 . However, the most intimidating aspect of the Mountaineers is their ability to play in the paint and to collect rebounds. The Mountaineers have a 32% average 3-point shooting percentage this season, whereas the St. John’s Redmen average 35%, so both teams are not known for having frequent three-point shooters.

On the other hand, the Mountaineers have at least 35 rebounds per game; with the exception of one game, the number of offensive rebounds is almost half of the team’s defensive rebounds. Offensive rebounds have the chance of also turning into second-chance points; WVU averages 12 second-chance points per game and St. John’s University averages 16 second-chance points per game.

With all of this considered, it was expected to see the intense, neck-to-neck game that the two teams played on Saturday. However, it is worth mentioning that the Mountaineers also played one of their messiest games this season, with over 20 turnovers, a 41.7% on the free throw line and gave the Red Storm a chance at 27 free throw points--22 of which were made, giving the team a free throw percentage of. 81.5%

As the Mike Anderson Era has established repeatedly over this season and previous seasons at other institutions, it is undeniable that fast-paced games and continuous presses have led to his and St. John’s current success. And, it wouldn’t be fair to leave out the incredible team dynamic and range of active shooters that make up what we’re proud to call the St. John’s University Men’s Basketball Team.

The team will be playing Brown University tomorrow, December 10th at 7:00PM EST at Carnesecca Arena. Tickets are free for students and can be picked up at the box office.