“Without question, this was my favorite game of the season,” proclaimed Rick Pitino after St. John’s massive 65-60 victory over the Seton Hall Pirates, but a personal “favorite” doesn’t always equal the best or most complete product.
Seton Hall entered the game at 14-4, a shock considering the team’s 7-25 record just a season ago. The new and improved Pirates were another in-conference test in the Red Storm’s road to redemption after a disappointing start to the season.
Classic Big East physicality began this matchup, with Zuby Ejiofor (9 pts, 4 rebs, 6 asts) and Elijah Fisher (4 pts) clashing over a loose ball. Both players received a double technical foul only minutes into the contest, setting a tone for the war between the Pirates and Red Storm.
Seton Hall’s physicality and tenacious defense may have been too much for St. John’s in the initial stages of the game, as the Johnnies only shot 3-10 in the first 10 minutes of play.
But the Pirates could not miss, especially from beyond the arc, shooting a blistering 3-4 from long distance and supplementing an early 18-12 lead.
Suddenly a light switched on the St. John’s bench, the dormant Johnnies offense exploded for a 9-2 run to steal a 23-22 lead from the Pirates. But, this would be the only lead that the Red Storm would hold in the first half at seven minutes remaining.
After staying even and trading baskets for another five minutes of game time, Seton Hall would take back the lead, entering halftime with a 38-32 lead. Led by Stephon Payne III’s (13 pts, 15 rebs) nine points and eight rebounds in the first half, the Pirates’ plan of attack was clear: dominate the rebounding battle.
Seton Hall grabbed 22 rebounds compared to St. John’s 14, leading to more offensive opportunities that the Pirates capitalized on. For a second half comeback to be possible, the Red Storm would need to play to what their strengths have been all season, rebounding the ball and pounding the paint.
This chance for a second half comeback seemed to dwindle at every passing second, for 261 seconds to be exact.
Bryce Hopkins (13 pts, 8 rebs, 4-13 FG) would bank in a layup with 15 minutes and 39 seconds remaining in the game, the first Red Storm basket of the half. Across the four and a half minute scoring drought, Seton Hall would bolster their lead to 47-34.
But much like the first half, momentum could swing at any moment.
Shaking off the embarrassment of four scoreless minutes, a Red Storm revolution led by Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell (17 pts, 11 rebs, 7-14 FG) and Dylan Darling (8 pts, 3 rebs) led them back into contention. Darling and Mitchell turned defense into offense by forcing turnovers and missed shots; while Hopkins facilitated the halfcourt offense, all culminating to a 21-7 scoring run for St. John’s across over 10 minutes of game time.
“In the second half we just had to stay together,” Hopkins said after the game, reflecting on the team effort that allowed St. John’s to come back. “We just went out there and played our hearts out, we left it all on the court.”
Through sheer determination and team basketball, the Red Storm somehow led the Pirates 55-54 with four minutes remaining in regulation.
During a pivotal St. John’s possession, Ejiofor corralled an offensive rebound and earned two key free throws, which put the Red Storm back up 59-56 with under two minutes on the clock.
After these clutch free throws, Darling picked Adam Clark’s (3 pts, 0-7 FG) pocket by stealing the ball right back and draining an easy fastbreak layup. St. John’s now led 61-56, a lead that the Johnnies would not surrender again.
By a final score of 65-60, the Red Storm completed their 15 point comeback over Seton Hall, a win that announces St. John’s early season struggles may be over; giving them a 7-1 record in the Big East and 14-5 overall.
St. John’s ended the contest even with the Pirates on rebounds at 41 and outscoring their opponents 36-32 in the paint, flexing their identity as a team that wins in the trenches, at least when they consistently play to that strength.
A Saturday afternoon matchup against Richard Pitino and his Xavier Musketeers in Cincinnati will be St. John’s next opportunity to continue this winning streak.
The second installment of the “Pitino Bowl” could be a historic day for St. John’s and their Hall of Fame coach, a win would be Rick Pitino’s 900th victory as a head coach.
“I think he [Richard Pitino] will do everything humanly possible to stop it,” Pitino said regarding his chance at history against his son. “This is going to be a lot of fun… If we lose, I’ll leave my team in Cincinnati.”
For play-by-play updates, follow @TorchSports on X.
