Storm is brewing
Johnnies dominate No. 6 UConn
If you didn’t know going in, an observer would’ve guessed St. John’s was the team with the number next to its name and Connecticut was the one still looking to find its footing.
The Johnnies’ performance was that strong, that forceful, that effective, at both ends of the floor. It was a connected 40 minutes of all-out effort resulting in a scintillating 85-74 win over the sixthranked Huskies that could serve as a launching point for the previously disappointing Red Storm. Sunday’s win marked the first time St. John’s had beaten UConn in Hartford in 35 years.
“It’s a big win for us, and hopefully it’s just one of many to come,” coach Mike Anderson told reporters in his postgame press conference.
At the least, it continued his team’s recent upward trend after a narrow threepoint loss at No. 18 Providence and commanding 16point win at home over Butler. St. John’s (13-6, 3-5 Big East) was the better team after a brief slow start. It was dominant in the second half, outscoring the Huskies by 11, and really the final result wasn’t indicative of the margin between the teams. The Johnnies missed 14 free throws.
They received strong production from all nine players Anderson used in their biggest win since upsetting No. 3 Villanova on Feb. 3, 2021. Center Joel Soriano got the better of Adama Sanogo, the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, producing 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead six players in double figures. Dylan Addae-Wusu was a factor at both ends, notching 12 points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists. The two-headed point guard tandem of Posh Alexander and Andre Curbelo played within themselves in notching 24 points, and Anderson’s decision to switch Alexander onto UConn star Jordan Hawkins was pivotal. After scoring 20 points in the first half, Hawkins was held to 11 in the final 20 minutes. And there was the talented underclassmen Rafael Pinzon and AJ Storr, seeing their playing time increasing by the game, combining for 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting, creating more space for Soriano and the two lead guards to work in the half-court.
The entire rotation had a role in another strong defensive effort, forcing UConn (15-4, 4-4) into 21 turnovers and limiting it to 41.8 percent shooting from the field. Really, that’s been the biggest change of late, on the defensive end. On Tuesday, Butler was forced into 22 turnovers and shot 41 percent. Providence committed 16 turnovers in the previous game.
Where this season goes from here is of course uncertain. St. John’s has a lot of work to do to get into the NCAA Tournament mix. It only has one Quad 1 win.
“This game proves a lot,” Soriano said. “It shows what we can do when we play together and [are] connected. It shows that if we hang on our hats [on defense], we do well.”