A start of a new season in Queens has brought new players and new uniforms to St. John’s but the product on the court was very similar from a season ago.
The Johnnies were sluggish and cold offensively to start its exhibition slate against Towson before turning up the defensive pressure and getting timely buckets after halftime, turning an 8-point deficit into a 10-point win, 73-63.
“I couldn’t ask for a better opener,” Rick Pitino explained. “It was a great first game because we learned so much.”
A 13-0 run catapulted the Johnnies into a lead it would not relinquish midway through the second half, headlined by veteran Sadiku Ibine Ayo and transfers Dillon Mitchell and Oziyah Sellers.
“We’re going to play much better than this, but for a first game out I was very pleased.”
Many of the Red Storm projected standouts struggled, specifically Zuby Ejiofor who was just 2-for-10 from the floor with nine points and six rebounds. He was on the bench for a majority of St. John’s initial second half charge.
“We’re just trying to win,” Pitino said of having the potential preseason Big East Player of the Year on the sidelines.
St. John’s shot 32.3-percent from the floor in the first half before connecting on 50-percent of its attempts in the second half. Towson tried to rally late, cutting the Red Storm lead to six, 63-57, with 2:12 remaining but didn’t have enough to pull off the upset.
Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins was the only Johnnie to reach double figures with 13 points after not starting the game, although he did start the second half, and Mitchell showed a glimpse as to why he could be a star in this system with eight points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
The Red Storm will have one final exhibition game on Saturday night (7:00 p.m. ET, BTN+) against No. 7 Michigan inside Madison Square Garden before opening its season on November 3 against Quinnipiac.