The first thirty minutes of Wednesday’s game were as brutal as it could get for the Red Storm, but they went on a 18-0 run to seal the game
St. John’s played with fire against a mid-major and nearly got burnt for a second straight game.
The Red Storm sleepwalked through the first half against Wagner, giving up the ball as many times as they made baskets in the first half and missing nine free throws. St. John’s only led 31-22 at halftime against a Seahawks team that sought to muddy up the game as much as possible. Their stupor continued ten minutes coming out of the break, making just two of their first dozen attempts.
Kadary Richmond, who came off the bench after a surprising lineup change by Rick Pitino, woke the Johnnies out of their slumber. With ten minutes remaining in the second half, Richmond rejected a potential game-tying layup by Ja’Kair Sanchez at the rim, creating a fastbreak triple for Deivon Smith on the other end.
That one play would spark a 18-0 run for the Red Storm that would make up for a half hour of basketball they would love to forget as St. John’s pulled away to win, 66-45.
Even though Richmond’s two-point performance won’t raise any eyebrows, his playmaking was instrumental towards the Red Storm’s late-game burst. Six of his seven total assists came in the final ten minutes of the second half.
Only two Red Storm players scored in double-figures: R.J. Luis, who led the team with 13 points off the bench, and Aaron Scott, who scored 11 points in his return to the starting lineup after dealing with an illness in his last game.
Before that second half run, the Red Storm were more of a threat to themselves than Wagner was. The Seahawks shot 29 percent for the game, only made five of their 24 three point attempts, and couldn’t defend the Red Storm without hacking them. Even though Wagner fouled St. John’s 25 times, the Red Storm bailed them out by going 18-of-30 (60 percent) at the line.
Now at 3-0, this St. John’s team will be tested for the first time on Sunday afternoon when they face Richard Pitino and the New Mexico Lobos (3-0).