St. John’s men’s basketball pounds Virginia in convincing response after heartbreaker

The Red Storm shook off Thursday’s stunning loss with an impressive blowout of the Cavaliers

Less than twenty four hours after one of their most brutal losses in recent memory, St. John’s got the result they needed on Friday night.

The St. John’s men’s basketball team shook off last night’s heartbreaking defeat to Baylor by crushing the Virginia Cavaliers in the third-place game of the Baha Mar Bahamas Championship, 80-55.

St. John’s set the tone early with a couple of huge blocks which resulted in fastbreak dunks on the other end of the floor. First off a block by Zuby Ejiofor leading to a pirouetting R.J. Luis slam, then a Luis rejection teeing off a Kadary Richmond alley-oop hammer.

Virginia kept it close until the midway point of the first half, when St. John’s would go on a 16-0 run punctuated by an impromptu dunk contest for the Johnnies, giving the Red Storm a 35-16 lead.

The Cavaliers countered with a miniature run to end the half. Isaac McKneely converted a four-point play after draining an improbable rainbow three while taking a head-scratching foul by R.J. Luis, cutting the deficit down to a 39-26 Red Storm lead.

St. John’s shut the door quickly on the possibility of another blown double-digit lead, going on a 11-4 run to open the second half. The Red Storm continued to pour it on by running up and down the floor. R.J. Luis once again led the Red Storm in scoring with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting and a pair of triples. After being hampered by shin splints last season, Luis had the chance to show off his unbridled athleticism on Friday night.

St. John’s did not look back from that point, running up their lead to as much as 29 points deep into the second half. Virginia looked all out of sorts, coughing up the ball 16 times, while St. John’s showed more discipline by only giving up a season-low seven turnovers.

The offense also put on another balanced effort. Kadary Richmond looked in command with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Deivon Smith recorded a double-double and nearly had a triple-double with ten points, ten rebounds, and eight assists. The Red Storm dished out 19 assists and ten players scored at least four or more points.

The Red Storm faithful showed love for Zuby Ejiofor, who was visibly distraught after missing the two free throws which allowed Baylor to win on a buzzer-beating three. It began from opening warmups as the crowd serenaded the junior center with “Zuby” chants. Ejiofor reciprocated the crowd’s energy, putting up eight points, nine rebounds, and two blocks and steals apiece.

St. John’s has one more game in The Bahamas before they fly back to New York as they will face the Georgia Bulldogs on Sunday morning (11 a.m., CBS Sports Network).