5 Takeaways: St. John’s downs DePaul for third straight win

By Anthony Parelli (@reportedbytheAP)

 

It wasn’t all that pretty, and honestly, rarely is with this St. John’s team, but a win is a win.

 

The Red Storm shook off some poor second half shooting to extend its winning streak to three – and four of five – Wednesday at DePaul, downing the Blue Demons, 81-68.

 

Efficient offense and smothering defense, which held DePaul scoreless in the final 3:47 of the half, gave the Red Storm (10-7, 4-6 Big East) a comfortable 49-34 lead going into the break. That offense was significantly less efficient in the second period, however, allowing DePaul to trim the St. John’s advantage to just eight points at the 8-minute media timeout. Having to sweat for the first time all night, St. John’s coach Mike Anderson switched to a zone defense, fueling an 8-0 Johnnies run.

 

After being held to just two points in the second half, Julian Champagnie drilled a dagger 3-pointer from the corner with two minutes left to ice the victory for the Red Storm.

 

Here are my takeaways from the win:

 

Scary moment

Already down second-leading scorer Greg Williams, Jr., who remained out as he nurses a back injury, Red Storm fans’ worst fear briefly came to fruition as Champagnie came down hard early in the first half and grabbed his ankle. A few-minute break and change of footwear was all it took for the Big East’s leading scorer to find his way back to the floor, finishing with 16 points and six rebounds in the win.

 

JUCO transfers settling in

There’s definitely been a learning curve, but both Isaih Moore and Vince Cole have seemed to find their roles as of late. With Champagnie sidelined in the first half, it was that duo that grabbed control of the game for the Red Storm. Moore continues to excel off the bench, scoring 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, and Cole, who has shown he can score in bunches but struggles with consistency, has found a much better rhythm of late, leading the Johnnies with 18 points. 

 

It takes a village

With Williams out and teams keying on Champagnie, a premium has been put on the secondary players of St. John’s, and their success has fueled this recent streak. The Red Storm put four players in double figures, and Rasheem Dunn had a particularly prolific night, chipping in seven points and adding nine assists with four rebounds. Depth has been an issue in recent history for the Johnnies, but it’s proving to be one of the stronger assets of this squad.

 

Sky’s the limit

Maybe the most impressive aspect of Posh Alexander’s phenomenal freshman season is that his potential seems limitless. Every game, he gets a little more confident and a little more refined. The point guard scored 15 points Wednesday night, adding five assists and three steals. Despite almost always being the smallest player on the court, Alexander is an impressive rebounder, grabbing six boards in the tilt, including three on the offensive glass.  

 

Not all sunshine and rainbows

The bad news is that St. John’s got absolutely waxed on the glass, losing the rebound battle, 48-36 and allowed DePaul to grab an unacceptable 20 offensive boards. Senior Pauly Paulicap was particularly a nuisance for the Blue Demons, scoring 16 points and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds.

 

Recent issues at the free throw line also hindered the Johnnies, as they went 14-for-21 from the charity stripe. Free throws haven’t lost a game for the Red Storm yet, but it’s certainly something to monitor as Big East games have a tendency to be decided by a slim margin. 

 

Next up

Saturday’s scheduled contest against UConn has been postponed as the Huskies enter a COVID pause due to a referee testing positive after their win over Butler on Tuesday. Fox Sports is reporting that St. John’s will travel to Milwaukee to take on Marquette Saturday, but the school has yet to officially announce the change.