For the longest time it felt like the St. John’s basketball team invented new ways to lose every time it stepped on the floor, but this version of the Red Storm is just the opposite.
Each game they find a different way to win, and it has now reached ten straight games after erasing a 14-point first half deficit against No. 19 UConn, winning 68-62.
No. 12 St. John’s (21-3, 12-1 Big East) battled offensive struggles throughout the night but when it mattered most it turned to stars Kadary Richmond and RJ Luis to get to the finish line.
Luis had the biggest bucket off the night, assisted by Richmond, on a baseline out of bounds play where he worked around a screen and rose for a jumper that was good from the minute it left his hands.
It capped a 21-point night that extended the Red Storm lead to four, 66-62, with 10.1 seconds left and sent the sold-out crowd inside Gampel Pavilion to the exits.
“I knew I made the shot, but, you know, the game wasn’t over until the buzzer sounded,” Luis said.
It didn’t take long for the buzzer to sound after UConn freshman Liam McNeeley, who made his first appearance since January 1 due to an ankle sprain, missed a layup on the ensuing possession before St. John’s iced the game with a pair of free throws.
“[RJ] never met a shot he didn’t like and there was no doubt in my mind he was going to make the shot,” Rick Pitino said. “I was 100-percent sure he would make the shot.”
St. John’s offense was cooled off tremendously in the second half, missing 11 consecutive shots over a 4:56 span but UConn could only build a lead a big as six points and left the door open for the Red Storm to rally, which used a 12-0 run to build an eight-point lead, 60-52, with 3:11 to play.
Richmond, after a scoreless first half, scored eight points in the St. John’s spurt to finish with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists for the night.
It looked like the game was going to get ugly early after the Huskies (16-7, 8-4 Big East) started 5-of-9 from 3-point range and raced out to 26-12 lead, but the Johnnies were just getting warmed up.
Deivon Smith converted a 4-point play that drew Alex Karaban’s second foul of the half, which was followed by a forced 5-second inbounds violation and a midrange jump shot by Aaron Scott.
It cut the UConn lead to eight, 26-18, with only three seconds coming off the clock and St. John’s was off to the races, closing the half on a 25-9 run to take a 37-35 lead in which its defense stole the show.
The Johnnies were able to force 22 turnovers and turn it into 18 points, which softened the blow of being outrebounded by ten.
The Johnnies will look to continue its magical journey after landing a pair of ranked victories this week as its road trip continues Wednesday night (6:00 p.m. ET, FS1) against Villanova (13-10, 6-6 Big East).