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By Geri Falzon (Photo: S Grieco/NYSB) In front of an enthusiastic sold-out crowd, the No. 23 ranked Red Storm continued to steamroll through the month of February beating up on the DePaul Blue Demons in a convincing 76-51 victory in a BIG EAST match-up at Carnesecca Arena.
In a game which could have easily been taken lightly, the Storm took to the court with energy and determination, controlling the tempo from start to finish. The Blue Demons were limited to only twenty-two first-half points as the Johnnies attacked and ran the break at every opportunity taking a comfortable 15-point lead into the locker room at halftime. “I thought our team answered the bell in terms of the challenge of sustaining a level of play during this stretch,” said St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin. “Our staff was very pleased with the level of effort and the execution over the course of this game.” The Red Storm combined crisp passing, accurate shooting (54.4% for the game) and total dominance in the paint outscoring the Blue Demons 42-18 while running the break flawlessly resulting in several crowd-pleasing thunderous dunks. The Blue Demons had very few answers for the Storm’s ever-changing defenses, shooting only 30.9% from the field with 14 turnovers and struggling on most possessions to get good looks at the basket. “The combination of the full-court press with our changing half-court defenses is disruptive when we bring good energy and we’re active,” said Lavin. “Tonight we were able to sustain the energy and the effort.” The Red Storm (18-9, 10-5 BIG EAST) were once again led by senior guard Dwight Hardy. The Bronx native scored a team-high 21 points making good on 8 of 13 from the floor. Senior forward D.J. Kennedy added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and fellow senior Paris Horne finished with 14 points. St. John’s largest lead of the evening was at 30 points midway through the second half, yet their energy level was maintained throughout despite the lopsided score. “We’re very confident right now,” said Hardy. “But this is the BIG EAST and you still have to bring your “A” game no matter which team you are playing.” Up next for the Storm are the No.15 ranked Villanova Wildcats. Can St. John’s win? “If we come and play like we did tonight,” said Hardy. “We should win every game.” |
