To paraphrase a nugget of hockey wisdom: “They don’t ask how, they ask how many.”
Hours after the first-place Colorado Avalanche gutted out an unflattering overtime win over the New York Rangers in the NHL, St. John’s survived its own sloppy matchup at Madison Square Garden and inched past Ole Miss in a 63-58 rock fight, their first victory against an SEC opponent in 13 years.
Advertisement
There were clear concerns about St. John’s’ rebounding and defense against power-conference opponents entering Saturday night’s contest, but they prevailed in a manner reminiscent of last season’s team. The Red Storm walled up defensively and did just enough to survive a slobber-knocker that saw both teams fire worse than 36.4% from the field, combine to shoot 6-of-40 from three, and give up 20 turnovers each.
Although the offense again sputtered out, St. John’s made the necessary stops to end the game on top, thanks in large part to their star center. Zuby Ejiofor was the only Johnny to score in double-figures, recording a team-high 15 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and became the fourth Red Storm player to record eight blocks in a game — the first since Tariq Owens did it versus Georgetown in 2018.
St. John’s came out cold to open the game by shooting 1-of-6, but a series of steals spurred a 13-4 run to give them a 17-14 lead with 10:41 to go in the first half. The Red Storm had a chance to bury Ole Miss after an Ian Jackson layup gave them a 33-18 lead, yet they spoiled that chance by failing to score for the final 3:59 of the first half and allowing a 7-0 run to enter halftime with a slimmer 33-25 lead.
After a Zuby Ejiofor three-point play to open the second half, St. John’s again sagged on offense, undergoing a scoring drought of 5:54. In spite the Red Storm offense going AWOL, Ole Miss could only cut their eight-point halftime deficit by one point before a Dillon Mitchell putback slam triggered an 11-4 run for the Johnnies to put them ahead by 14 points.
Once again, St. John’s gave Ole Miss a window to come back after their offense sputtered out, and the Rebels were able to claw back with a 10-0 run and draw within four with 5:09 remaining.
Advertisement
Zuby Ejiofor and Dylan Darling didn’t produce plays that will be on an end-of-season highlight reel late in the game, but the pair combined to score 11 of the Red Storm’s final 12 points to keep them ahead. Darling scored all seven of his points in the final four minutes, including a layup that gave the Johnnies a 55-47 lead and served as the team’s final made field goal of the game.
St. John’s will have a whole week to prepare for their next matchup against the Iona Gaels (6-3) on Saturday, December 13. Tip-off from Madison Square Garden is scheduled for 12:00 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on TNT.
