It was a start to the season that was seven months in the making for the St. John’s basketball team.
The Johnnies returned superstar Zuby Ejiofor, brought in the top ranked transfer class in the country, and unveiled its Big East championship banners.
It set the stage for a memorable night in Queens as the No. 5 Red Storm kept the fun going after beginning its season opener on a 19-4 run against Quinnipiac and never looked back.
It ended as a wire-to-wire victory against the MAAC favorites, 108-74.
“From when the ball was thrown up to the end, we had an intense, aggressive mindset,” Rick Pitino said after the game.
“We made our mistakes, as you always do in a first game, but overall, I couldn’t be more pleased.”
It was a sharp contrast of a message from Pitino, who on Friday said that he wasn’t sure if his team was ready for the opening of the season.
“That’s him being him,” Sadiku Ibine Ayo explained of his head coach after his 10-point night. “Just to send a message to us.”
There wasn’t much that went wrong for St. John’s (1-0). They shot well, defended well, and rebounded well. Five players reached double figures, which was led by 18 points, seven rebounds, and four steals from Dillon Mitchell while Ejiofor added 17 points and six rebounds.
The Red Storm put up 54 points in each half. They had 25 assists on 39 made field goals and converted 26 turnovers by Quinnipiac (0-1) into 32 points.
Still, there is room for growth.
“I think over time we’ll continue to understand each other better, just getting in motion, cutting and making plays off the ball,” Mitchell explained. “That’s something we’ve definitely improved on over the past couple of practices.”
While the Red Storm will feel good about its victory over the Bobcats, the competition will get much more challenging on Saturday afternoon (12:00 p.m. ET, FS1) when St. John’s hosts No. 15 Alabama inside Madison Square Garden.