After a bit of a choppy start St. John’s pulled away early and cruised to a 74-53 win over the Fordham Rams Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
St. John’s only grabbed 32 rebounds, far off their average of 42 per game, and had only one block averaging over seven over their first eight games.
What they lacked in rebounding and blocks was made up for with 10 steals and defensive pressure, forcing a total of 20 turnovers leading to 28 points.
The Johnnies took excellent care of the ball committing just eight turnovers but only managed 10 assists.
Sir`Dominic Pointer continued to add to his collection of highlight reel plays with an alley-oop running along the baseline from Jamal Branch and a posterizing two handed slam that brought the crowd to its feet.
D`Angelo Harrison was as to be expected contributing an effortless 22 points going 8-12 from the field and 2-5 from three.
It was an easy victory for St. John’s who has now officially completed the sweep of in-state rivals cementing their status as the best team in New York.
Chris Obekpa's ejection
The absence of Chris Obekpa on the court was obvious looking at the stat sheet, as demonstrated by the lack of rebounds and blocks, but had little impact on the outcome of the game.
Obekpa’s ejection with just under 7:00 to play in the first half actually sparked an 11- 2 run by the Johnnies to close the half.
The Red Storm went small and sped up the Rams, playing pressure defense and forcing 20 turnovers.
Against Fordham Obekpa’s absence may have been miniscule. But he will be needed against a good St. Mary’s team that beat Creighton Thursday night in Omaha.
Will he be able to maintain his poise on the court?
Rysheed Jordan showing improvement
Rysheed Jordan had his best game of the season, pouring in 24 points with four steals. He shot an impressive 9-12 from the field including 3-5 from three point range.
Most impressive of Jordan’s performance was his defensive pressure.
Using his length and agility, Jordan was able to poke the ball free from opposing guards, leading to easy fast break dunks.
Head coach Steve Lavin commented that matchups will determine if Jordan comes off the bench in the 6th man role or is in the starting lineup.
Either way Rysheed is getting major minutes and is making his presence on the court known on both ends of the floor.
Will Jordan maintain this level of play and show improvement in consistency?
Kings of New York?
With New York sports as a whole in turmoil, most importantly the Knicks, will St. John’s be able to draw some extra support from a mainly pro sports town?
There was a time St. John’s was huge in New York. While they still maintain a solid fan base, can all these factors lead to a rejuvenation of Red Storm basketball?
Asked if he noticed a difference in the fan support from the previous few seasons, Steve Lavin commented "Not yet, but it’s coming."
Lavin attributed the lack of fan craze to the holiday season and that people simply have other things going on in their lives at this time of the year.
Come January and February Lavin believes there will be a noticeable difference in fan support.
What do you think about the state of New York sports?
Will Johnnies fans step up and support this team?
Up next for the Red Storm:
A tough Mary’s team that looks to be the second-place team behind Gonzaga, in the West Coast Conference. The game will be played at Carnesecca Arena on Friday December 19th at 7pm.
Rumble will have coverage throughout the week.