LAS VEGAS — It was a year ago at this time that St. John’s began to establish its Identity as a team at its best when facing adversity.
It rebounded from a devastating double-overtime loss in the Bahamas by crushing Virginia.
Tuesday afternoon’s one-sided victory over Baylor — the same Baylor that knocked them off in said contest — felt similar.
Coming off a frustrating one-point loss to No. 15 Iowa State, the 14th-ranked Johnnies were facing an early test of their fortitude.
They answered the bell big-time, improving to 1-1 in the Players Era Festival with a commanding 96-81 win at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Oziyah Sellers got St. John’s started fast from deep, and Bryce Hopkins took over late as the Red Storm notched their first win in three tries over a power-conference opponent.
They can make it a winning trip on Wednesday against an opponent to be determined.
Hopkins poured in 26 points along with five rebounds and five assists, Sellers added 22 and five 3-pointers and Dillon Mitchell chipped in 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. Ian Jackson added 14.
Cameron Carr led Baylor with 27 points, and top-rated freshman Tounde Yessoufou was limited to 15 points on 5-of-17 shooting. St. John’s shot 57 percent from the field and hit a season-high 11 3-pointers on 22 attempts.
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Defensive rebounding, St. John’s undoing in the opener here against Iowa State, was the one major negative. Baylor had 21 second-chance points and a whopping 26 offensive rebounds. St. John’s did a better job in the second half.
It was a strange opening half. St. John’s shot incredibly well, at close to a 60 percent clip. It made five 3-pointers. But it also was crushed on the glass, allowing 17 offensive rebounds.
The Johnnies led by nine at the break, and it could’ve been better, but also worse. Sellers started the game red hot, making his first three 3-point attempts and led the way with 14 points. Hopkins followed with 11.
The rebounding issues were glaring, however. The Johnnies were fortunate that Baylor only had 11 second-chance points. The Bears had numerous possessions in which they had second, third and even fourth chances. Zuby Ejiofor had a quiet half and sat the final 4:55 of the period even though he wasn’t in foul trouble.
St. John’s started the second half very strong. Dylan Darling was a big part of it, forcing a pair of Baylor turnovers, and the Johnnies scored the first seven points to push the lead to 17. Hopkins was a force after halftime, scoring inside and out, and when Joson Sanon completed a three-point play, the lead was up to 18 with 11:56 to go.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
