St. John's overcomes slow start to earn 10th win
SJU's David Jones gets control and hits from inside for two during St John’s vs New Hampshire at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, New York on Dec. 10, 2022 Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
The St. John’s men’s basketball team continues to win, but its latest showing won’t leave too many impressed.
The Red Storm (10-1) earned their second consecutive victory with a 64-51 win over New Hampshire at Carnesecca Arena on Saturday night, but they played a very sloppy first half.
St. John’s held a 25-22 lead at the break after shooting 28.6% from the field. The Red Storm shot 1-for-11 from three-point range and had seven turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
“These are the games that scare coaches,” coach Mike Anderson said. “At half it ends up being just a three-point game, but I’m proud our guys found a way to finish the game.”
AJ Storr played a season-high 23 minutes and scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half.
“We got to have somebody coming off that bench that can give us a scoring punch,” Anderson said. “You see his athletic ability. He’s beginning to pick up on things. It’s a natural progression for a guy with his talent.”
St. John’s trailed 39-38 with 12:22 remaining as New Hampshire’s Matt Herasme scored 10 of his 14 points in the first seven minutes of the second half.
Storr then provided the spark his team was searching for. He hit a three-pointer and added a dunk to give St. John’s a 43-39 lead.
Two plays later, he grabbed a defensive rebound and hit a three-pointer on the other end to put St. John’s ahead 48-39.
“I thought Storr was fantastic in the most minutes he’s played so far,” Anderson said. “He was very productive and that’s a great sign going forward.”
David Jones totaled 20 points and 12 rebounds and Joel Soriano added 14 points and 14 rebounds to earn his ninth double-double of the season.
“I’m just trying to be aggressive and stay consistent,” Soriano said. “I give a lot of credit to my teammates and coaching staff.”
The Red Storm had their second-lowest point total of the season and their lowest in a victory.
“We just couldn’t make a shot today. It felt like the rim had a lid on it,” Soriano said. “We’ve got to get better, got to get back in the gym and start working.’’
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
