NEW YORK, NY — On Sunday afternoon, in the city that never sleeps, St. John’s Men’s Basketball stormed past the No. 15 ranked Creighton Bluejays 80-66 — marking the Red Storm’s first victory over a ranked opponent since February 11th, of 2023 and also, their first in the Rick Pitino era.
As a Madison Square Garden ‘whiteout’ crowd of 12,061 were in attendance for the second annual Johnnies Day, with Pitino ‘dressing to impress,’ in an all-white Armani suit and matching shoes, St. John’s guard Daniss Jenkins, was as ‘high-end,’ and ‘elegant’ on the court as one could be. The Dallas, Texas native dropped a season-high 27 points on 12-18 shooting from the field to go along with a pair of steals and six assists.
🔥 DANISS JENKINS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/56ZyiTf8cS
— St. John's Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) February 25, 2024
“When he came out with that on, you can’t lose,” Jenkins said regarding his head coach’s suit and the team’s overall mindset.
Pitino on the ‘sharp’ fashion choice, revealing that his wife convinced him, and how his players would get a kick out of it: “I actually wasn’t going to wear it. It was a last-minute thing. My wife kept saying ‘you got to wear it — the players will love it, the players will love it, the players will love it.’
“And so, at four o’clock yesterday, I decided to go down the street from my apartment (an Armani store nearby) and asked them, if they can help me. They said ‘yes,’ and they helped me.”
Naismith Hall of Fame Head Coach Rick Pitino in all-white Armani suit during St. John’s vs. Creighton on Sunday afternoon, February 25th, at Madison Square Garden – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball
Corresponding to Jenkins’ performance on the hardwood and Pitino’s fashion statement, was Jordan Dingle (18 points: 8-13 FG) and Joel Soriano (12 points: 4-10 FG), who both flexed their own style and muscle in the victory — combining for 30 of the Johnnies’ 80 points.
“Dingle really hurt us with that mid-range game,” Creighton head coach Greg McDermott said in the postgame. “Not a lot of teams shoot it like they do from the mid-range, and they were elite today. One of the better performances I coached against.”
St. John’s guard Jordan Dingle attempts contested mid-range shot vs. Creighton on Sunday afternoon, February 25th, at Madison Square Garden – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball
Despite the loss, Creighton junior guard Trey Alexander led both teams in scoring-figures with 31 (12-23 FG) — a new season-high in points, and one shy of tying his career-high. Additionally, in his last three games, Alexander has combined for 62 points and 14 rebounds — a loss to St. John’s, a win over the defending national champion, No. 1 ranked UConn Huskies, as well as a win over Butler.
“Feel like there were a couple shots where I kind of rushed, but as a team I know that we’re gonna make shots in the future,” said Alexander, referring to his performance + concerns about Creighton’s defense, rather than their highly-touted offense: “I’m not really worried about us making shots, it’s more about us on the defensive end that I am worried about. You know, finding that tee and making sure we stop opponents because we like to play in transition. So for us to do that, we gotta get stops…
As a whole, I feel like we can do a little better on the defensive end.”
Trey is locked in!
📺 CBS #GoJays pic.twitter.com/5hZVxq0vSp
— Creighton Men’s Basketball (@BluejayMBB) February 25, 2024
Deep In The Stats: Glenn Taylor Jr. grabs 10 boards
Red Storm junior forward Glenn Taylor Jr., a transfer from Oregon State, contributed with an all-around stat-line of four points, six assists, and 10 boards, which marked his first game in double-figures for rebounds at St. John’s and first since February 11th, of 2023 (Oregon St. vs. USC) — coincidentally enough, on the same exact aforementioned day as the Red Storm’s most-recent win over a ranked opponent prior to Sunday’s victory over No. 15 Creighton…
Glenn Taylor Jr. and Daniss Jenkins share a moment together following the Johnnies’ upset victory over No. 15 Creighton. In the win, the Red Storm recorded 24 assists as a team, while only committing three turnovers + out-rebounded Creighton 42-35 – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball
What’s Next for the Bluejays and Red Storm?
No. 15 Creighton (20-8 overall, 11-6 in BIG EAST)
The Bluejays host the Seton Hall Pirates (18-9 overall, 11-5 in BIG EAST) this upcoming Wednesday night, February 28th, at the CHI Health Center, in Omaha, Nebraska – tip-off scheduled for 9:00PM ET, television coverage on FOX Sports 1.
St. John’s (16-12 overall, 8-9 in BIG EAST)
On Wednesday evening at the Hinkle Fieldhouse, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Red Storm will face off against the Butler Bulldogs (16-12 overall, 7-10 in BIG EAST) – tip-off at 8:30PM ET, television coverage on CBS Sports Network.
Robert Rizzo is a journalist and editor of Latino Sports – Email: RobertRiz994@gmail.com
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