Field Level Media
Dec 19, 2018
Mikey Dixon and LJ Figueroa both had 13 points to lead the St. John's Red Storm to an 86-52 win over the St. Francis (Brooklyn) Terriers on Wednesday night in Queens, N.Y., to improve to 11-0 on the season.
Chauncey Hawkins had 16 points, and Jalen Jordan added 11 for St. Francis, which fell to 7-5 on the season after shooting just 27.7 percent from the field.
St. John's extended its best start since the 1982-83 season, when head coach Chris Mullin was a star player for the Red Storm. St. John's hasn't just been winning; Wednesday's victory was the team's fourth straight by more than a dozen points, and fifth in six games.
The Red Storm turned a 12-point lead into a 23-point edge after a 16-5 run to start the second half, but the St. John's defense was tight all game, holding the Terriers to 27 percent shooting in the first half. The Red Storm dominated the perimeter, holding St. Francis to 16.7 percent shooting from 3-point range, and Glenn Sanabria, who averages 13 points for the Terriers, shot 0-for-12 from the field and 0-for-8 from behind the arc.
But it wasn't just the defense: The Red Storm shot 54 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from 3-point range, with Shamorie Ponds (12 points) and Marvin Clark II (12) also scoring in double-figures.
St. John's also dominated the glass, outrebounding St. Francis 49-35, with all five starters finishing with at least five rebounds, led by Figueroa's nine.
The Red Storm broke the game open with a 14-2 run midway through the first half to take a double-digit lead and led by as much as 14 before Dixon hit a 3-pointer with one second left to send them to the locker room up 37-25.
Dixon had 10 points at the break, and Figueroa added nine to lead St. John's, which shot 50 percent in the half.
--Field Level Media