Johnnies extend win streak to seven with commanding rout of Butler

Dillon Mitchell flushes dunk in second half en route to another double-double as St. John’s earned seventh straight win with decisive defeat of Butler. (Photo by St. John’s Athletics)

By Jason Dimaio (@Jaydimaio)

NEW YORK — Before come-from-behind wins last week against Seton Hall and Xavier, Bryce Hopkins and his St. John’s teammates tapped into a level of resilience they did not know they had after a loss to Providence nearly four weeks ago.

Since that moment, though, the Red Storm has found another commodity just as precious.

Momentum.

St. John’s continued its winning ways Wednesday, completing a season sweep of Butler by dominating the Bulldogs from start to finish in a 92-70 thrashing before a crowd of 14,361 inside Madison Square Garden.

“It feels great,” Zuby Ejiofor remarked as the Johnnies won their seventh straight game behind his 15 points and a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double from Dillon Mitchell. “I think we’re finally starting to get it, and are starting to understand Coach Pitino and his system.”

In a week of milestones that started with head coach Rick Pitino collecting his 900th career win Saturday, Ejiofor moved closer to one of his own with his effort Wednesday. The senior is now just one point shy of 1,000 markers in a St. John’s uniform, which he will get on the road next Tuesday at DePaul barring any unforeseen circumstances.

St. John’s (16-5, 9-1 Big East) jumped on Butler from the start, opening up leads of 12-2 and 20-6 as its revamped starting lineup continued to pay dividends since Pitino inserted Mitchell into his opening five earlier this month. The Cincinnati transfer has blossomed into an all-Big East-caliber player since then, averaging 14.5 points and 10.3 rebounds in his last four games. Mitchell’s 13 boards Wednesday were a season-best, and marked his third double-double in the Red Storm’s last four contests.

“I think it was our inadequate situation at point guard that allowed him to really flourish,” Pitino said of Mitchell. “I’m really having a fun time watching him play. That’s not something I say too often about a player. He reminds me of another coach on the floor as opposed to a player. He knows how to play without the ball and he knows how to play with the ball. He just makes everybody better.”

Four different Johnnies scored in the double digits, with Ian Jackson (18 points) and Joson Sanon (13) joined Ejiofor and Mitchell in that category. Oziyah Sellers and Sadiku Ibine Ayo were not far behind, recording nine and eight points, respectively.

In the first half, Pitino opted to go to one of his signature hockey line changes, as he often has done this year, bringing in Sanon, Ruben Prey and

Dylan Darling. And much like some other recent games, Butler saw a chance to take advantage and did. The Bulldogs used a 16-6 run to draw within six points late in the opening stanza, but after missing each of its first seven three-point attempts, St. John’s caught fire, making all of its last five going into the locker room.

Ibine Ayo was first to break the ice for the Red Storm, hitting the team’s first shot from deep to open the proverbial floodgates opened. Sellers and Sanon would follow with back-to-back long distance calls, helping the Johnnies take a 43-29 lead into halftime.

The second stanza continued in a similar vein to how the first half ended. Ejiofor and Mitchell imposed their will on Butler, who had no answer for the two big men.

Following a brief flurry that brought the Bulldogs to within a 47-38 margin after a Finley Bizjack jumper, St. John’s did not look back, outscoring Butler, 45-32, from that point to cruise to another win.

“It takes every guy on the team being committed to our team goals,” Mitchell said of his teammates’ buy-in on both sides of the ball. “We want to attack each and every game because this is a tough league to play in. We’re still working to put together 40 minutes consistently. It starts with every four minutes at a time, each segment, coming out with the right type of pressure and the right type of mindset.”

Now ranked once again after re-entering the Associated Press poll at No. 25 this past Monday, the Red Storm’s resurgence has garnered attention following a disappointing non-conference season. Expectations are beginning to ramp up outside the program a second time, but within the walls, it is business as usual.

“We move on from here,” Ejiofor said. “We’re never gonna think too far ahead. We’ll just approach each and every single day to the best of our abilities and see how far we can go.”