St. John’s win at Xavier on Wednesday might not have been an anomaly, especially after what the Red Storm did Friday night.
Playing with the same purpose, focus and intensity as in the upset of Xavier, St. John’s dominated Butler over the final 30 minutes Friday and cruised to a 91-57 decimation at Carnesecca Arena to move within one game of .500 in Big East play. It was the Red Storm’s largest win in the conference since they beat Providence, also by 34 points, on Feb. 15, 1999.
The one-sided win completed the Red Storm’s first season sweep of Butler since 2013-14, the first year the Bulldogs were in the Big East. St. John’s has now won four of six games, with the lone losses coming against No. 10 Villanova and No. 24 Connecticut in games point guard Posh Alexander missed due to a sprained right ankle.
“It builds momentum,” junior forward Julian Champagnie said. “That’s the biggest thing we take from it. … Just keep pushing, that’s the motto we have right now.”
Alexander, the Red Storm’s heart and soul, was a factor against Xavier coming off the bench. He started Friday, and was at his best, controlling the game at both ends of the floor and finishing with 13 points, 10 assists, two blocks and two steals. Alexander checked back into the game halfway through the first half, with St. John’s trailing by three. He immediately scored inside, jump-starting a 12-3 run that gave the Red Storm the lead for good. His 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer extended the lead to 16, St. John’s largest halftime advantage in league play this season.
Posh Alexander is embraced after hitting a half-court shot to close the first half. Robert Sabo“He’s the head of this train,” Champagnie said. “To have him back has been wonderful, to say the least.”
Alexander wasn’t the only St. John’s star who was on his game. Champagnie had his second straight strong outing, pouring in 31 points, along with seven rebounds and seven steals without a turnover, while his twin brother, Justin, a rookie with the Raptors, watched courtside. The brothers, who played together at Bishop Loughlin High School in Brooklyn, hadn’t seen each other in months. Justin, at home during the All-Star break, was motivating Julian all game, celebrating every made basket after asking his brother for a 30-point performance.
“It was a good feeling,” Champagnie said. “To see him on the sideline, he gave me a little extra kick.”
All 10 regulars scored in an absolute beatdown. The Red Storm (15-11, 7-8 Big East) outrebounded the Bulldogs, 35-21, outscored them in the paint by 12 and shot 50 percent from 3-point range. The game was so lopsided that coach Mike Anderson put in his walk-ons in the final minute. One of them, Artemios Gavalas, scored, to the delight of the exuberant St. John’s bench.
Joel Soriano dunks during St. John’s win over Butler. Robert Sabo“It was just a good old-fashioned butt-kicking,” Butler coach LaVall Jordan said after Jayden Taylor had 19 points and six rebounds to lead the Bulldogs (13-14, 6-10).
The win was a significant step for St. John’s coming off the victory over Xavier, but the Red Storm have a lot of work left even to get into the NCAA Tournament mix. Blowout wins like this will help the metrics. More importantly, it could give them the belief a big run is possible to close the regular season, especially with a manageable schedule that continues with Creighton on Wednesday in Queens.
“It’s coming together,” Anderson said, “at the right time.”
Freshman guard Rafael Pinzon didn’t play, but he was available after being cleared medically, according to St. John’s. Pinzon had been sidelined since testing positive for COVID-19 in December. He has yet to return to practice.
