As the St. John’s Men’s Basketball team was looking to get back into a winning groove after losing to #15/16 Alabama on November the 8th there was a trend that Coach Rick Pitino and his Coaching Staff had seen when it had come time for William & Mary.
The Tribe they noticed ran a press, were able to run some back door plays and also ran a Princeton offense.
When the practices first came together the guys were running things usually and there was a moment when the staff noticed that they wanted to bring in Dylan Darling to help break the press.
It was a combination of that and the guys being able to lean into the athletic ability that they had that was able to gain them a 93-60 victory in front of an incredible crowd at Carnesecca Arena.
Seeing five players finish in double-digit scoring, it was an all around team performance that was able to get the Red Storm back on track.
There were a ton of impressive notes from the victory by the team and play as of late, as in each of the first three games the guys have scored more than 90 points in each of the first three games to start the season and that is a first since the 1971-72 Season.
Much like last year it was the defense that was the main key as the guys were able to record 13 steals and got William & Mary to turn the ball over 24 times and converted those chances into 29 points.
Leading the way for the Red Storm was Bryce Hopkins and Joson Sanon as they both had 15 points.
It was great to see Hopkins get into the style of play that he had against William & Mary it that kind of play that got him named to the Naismith Trophy and Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award watch list and was a huge key to Providence being able to make it to the NCAA Tournament in 2023.
As for Sanon, having several key moments in helping to facilitate the Red Storm offense the Arizona State transfer followed up a 14 point performance against Quinnipiac, by scoring 15 against the Tribe.
In addition to the impressive stats there was also a highlight reel play by Joson around the 10:07 mark in the First Half with his impressive dunk.
As was mentioned earlier Darling was not only a huge part of the team’s victory in helping to break the press of the Tribe, he also scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out three assists and was able to match a career-high four steals in the game.
To see the exact words that Coach Pitino had on Darling and also from Darling and Oziyah Sellers fans are encouraged to view our highlights from the team’s press conference after the victory by viewing the video below:
The fans also got to see an impressive performance by Sellers and also highlight reel plays by Ian Jackson, and Dillon Mitchell.
Overall it was just what the team was looking for in a rebound performance as they now prepare to take on Bucknell in a game to be played on November the 20th.
The guys were able to keep a level head throughout the night as William & Mary showed great flashes throughout and why they are going to be a team to watch for in the CAA this season.
Ultimately though it was the athletic ability, the defense and the ability to break the press from the Tribe that won the day.
Now it is going to be time for the guys to prepare and get ready to face a team that they have not played in a while in Bucknell.
These two great College Basketball programs only have met twice and are tied at 1-1, with the two meetings taking place on February 10, 1912 and November, 19, 2013.
It was the game in November of 2013 that the Red Storm saw a 67-63 victory, as then the defense led the way.
That was when Coach Steve Lavin and Phil Greene IV were a part of the program, and it was Greene IV and his season-high 16 points that helped to gain the victory.
Fast forwarding to 2025 and it is going to be a meeting between the Red Storm squad that has a 2-1 record against a Bison squad that has a 2-2 mark.
Thus far in the young Basketball Season Bucknell was able to defeat Delaware by a score of 78-70, and Mount St. Mary’s by the score of 73-62.
They have not faced any BIG EAST opponents as of yet but the Bison do have a fascinating test before they get to Carnesecca Arena, as they travel to Pittsburgh, Pa. and face Pitt on November the 17th.
Then the countdown is going to be on till the two teams playing on the 20th. The Game Time between the Red Storm and Bison is going to be scheduled for 7 p.m. with the game being aired on the TNT/TruTV networks.
To stay up to date on the St. John’s Athletics Department fans are encouraged to click on the link below:
St. John’s University Athletics – Official Athletics Website