St. John’s basketball shockingly runs Seton Hall out of Walsh Gym

The St. John’s basketball team stunned Seton Hall at Walsh Gym on Monday night. 

It was gut check time for the St. John’s basketball team.

After Saturday’s ugly loss to Seton Hall the Johnnies had ten days to save its season, starting on Monday night with a rematch against the Pirates at Walsh Gym in South Orange.

Step one accomplished.

In front of 1,300 Seton Hall students the Red Storm ran Kevin Willard’s team out of the gym, 84-63.

“That is the team I have been looking for,” head coach Mike Anderson said postgame.

St. John’s (11-7, 3-4 Big East) previously lost all six of its Quadrant 1 opportunities until Monday night.

The Johnnies led by as many as 21 points in the first half but Seton Hall (12-6, 3-5 Big East) would answer, cutting the lead down to ten at halftime and got within eight, 55-47, with 13:10 left to play in the second half and the students were right back in it.

However, Montez Mathis, who has struggled with his perimeter shooting all season, drilled a corner 3-pointer and followed that, on the next possession, with a steal and a dunk to put the Red Storm back up by 13 points, 60-47.

Mathis’ 3-pointer would start a 29-16 run to close the game for the Red Storm.

Anderson played all 10 available scholarship players in the first half and they all scored but his biggest decision was bringing point guard Posh Alexander off the bench and inserting forward Aaron Wheeler into the starting lineup.

Anderson said the move was a “coach’s decision” but Alexander responded “the right way…played his butt off. He was the general out on the floor.”

Alexander went for 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals in the victory.

Wheeler posted the first double-double of his St. John’s career, and set a new career-high in points, with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists.

St. John’s looked like a different team with its pressure defense and on the backboards, forcing 20 turnovers for Seton Hall, tying a season high in turnovers for the Pirates, and won the rebounding battle, 49-43.

Seton Hall out-rebounded the Red Storm by 17 on Saturday afternoon and the Pirates blocked ten shots in that game compared to just three on Monday.

St. John’s basketball dominates without major contribution from star

Julian Champagnie is in a slump and he did not break out of it on Monday night.

The leading scorer in the Big East is now 10-of-45 from the floor (26.6-percent) in his last three games and was held in single digits for the second consecutive game, the first time that has been done since his freshman season.

He was 2-of-10 for five points against the Pirates but drilled a dagger 3-pointer with 8:16 to play which put St. John’s up by 19 points.

The slump will not last bu the Johnnies need its leader to get right as its season is taking a turn in the positive direction.

Things now get much more interesting for the Johnnies as they will have the rest of the week off before facing the two best teams in the Big East.

St. John’s will make the trip to face No. 14 Villanova (14-5, 7-2 Big East) on Saturday afternoon, followed by a visit from No. 17 Providence (16-2, 6-1 Big East) on February 1.

Buckle up because things could be getting very interesting in Queens very soon.