While Red Storm fans may remain curious about Friday’s highly anticipated matchup with No. 3 UConn, St. John’s needs to take care of business and avoid a catastrophic defeat on the road against DePaul. Rather than let a first-half situation snowball against the Blue Devils that ultimately led to a potential trap game scare, the Red Storm took the lead by halftime and controlled the game until the final buzzer on Tuesday night to seal the victory 68-56.
St. John’s struggled to escape the rim until the end of the first half, hitting just six of its first 26 shots. Despite the ineffective offense, they led 29-28 at halftime after Bryce Hopkins forced a turnover and scored on a layup.
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CJ Gunn’s mid-range jumper gave DePaul a 35-34 lead with 17:34 left in the second half, and the Red Storm went on a 12-0 run over the next six minutes to seize control of the game. DePaul slowly tried to mount a comeback to cut St. John’s lead to 56-50 after a Layden Blocker fast-break layup with 3:35 left, but the Johnnies spoiled Chicago’s chance for drama with the next six points.
In a frustrating night offensively, the Red Storm shot 35 percent from the field and a CYO League-style 9-for-27 on layups, scoring 20 points off turnovers and 19 points on second chances.
Zubie Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins overwhelmed DePaul’s frontcourt, either shooting inside or forcing their way to the free throw line. Ejiofor scored a team-high 16 points and 9 rebounds, almost scoring his fifth double-double of the season, while Hopkins scored 15 points and 6 rebounds on 5-for-11 shooting.
Oziah Sellers was the only St. John’s player who had a satisfactory shooting night, scoring 13 points and hitting a 3-pointer on six attempts from distance.
Next up is the Red Storm’s biggest game of the season so far as they take on the No. 3 UConn Huskies at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Feb. 6 (8 p.m., Fox News) in a matchup of two of the Big East’s best teams.