Red Storm stumble before edging Rider
The best aspect about this St. John’s performance is it’s over. It can be forgotten. It didn’t result in an ugly loss.
The Red Storm can turn the page and shift their attention to Friday’s Big East opener at Seton Hall, because Tuesday night’s game was not 40 minutes of basketball Mike Anderson or his players will look back at fondly.
Taking on a 18.5-point underdog in Rider, the Johnnies toyed with what would have been the worst loss of the Anderson era, before rallying past the MAAC program for an 82-79 victory at Carnesecca Arena in Queens.
“I told them I’m proud of them, because it could’ve easily gone the other way,” Anderson said. “We didn’t play well, but guess what? We found the resolve to finish the game. That’s going to pay off for us.”
For long stretches, it seemed as if St. John’s (5-1) would be upset by the low-major opponent. The Red Storm’s pressure defense was lacking, their perimeter defense was porous and they missed layups and free throws. There was little intensity or focus.
Rider (0-2), picked to finish last in the MAAC with an almost completely new roster and coming off a 35-point loss to Syracuse in its season opener, looked at home. The Broncos sank 11 3-point shots and shot 49.1 percent from the field. They led by 11 early in the second half and by six with 4:07 remaining. Rodney Henderson Jr. and Dwight Murray Jr. were hitting shots from all corners of the archaic building.
“They took advantage of how we played,” Anderson said.
As in the Johnnies’ season opener against St. Peter’s, however, Vince Cole wouldn’t let his team lose. After a quiet last three games, the junior college transfer exploded for a career-high 26 points, 12 of them in a game-closing 18-9 run. His five consecutive points gave St. John’s the lead for good with 2:20 left and his 3-pointer, which pushed the lead to four with 29.2 seconds to go, iced it.
“I know my teammates believe in me and my coaches believe in me,” Cole said. “I know today we needed [my] scoring and that’s what I bring.”
Cole had help from Marcellus Earlington and Julian Champagnie. Champagnie notched his second double-double in four games, producing 18 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, and Earlington enjoyed his best game of the season, keying the second-half comeback with 16 points and five rebounds.
Earlington, a big factor in the strong finish to last season, had been quiet so far this year. He averaged just 6.4 points in the season’s first five games while shooting 35.1 percent from the field. But with starters Greg Williams Jr. and Isaih Moore in foul trouble, he emerged.
“He went back to being that player he was at the end of last year,” Anderson said. “He was real efficient. We got to have him [playing like that], especially as we get ready for conference play.”
St. John’s will now enter the league season at 5-1, with one win over a power conference foe (Boston College). The Red Storm have proven that at their best, they can be exciting and effective. Champagnie, Cole and Williams have all taken turns as explosive scorers. Consistency, though, remains a question mark without any dress rehearsals remaining.
“We know,” Cole said, “we’re going to have to provide a lot more energy and a lot more effort.”