New York, N.Y. – St. John’s (12-4, 4-1) stayed hot, extending their winning streak to four after putting out Providence’s (11-5, 2-3) second half comeback bid at Madison Square Garden 75-73. Daniss Jenkins and Joel Soriano would both lead the Red Storm in scoring, finishing with 16 points each. Devin Carter gave this game everything he could for the Friars with an unbelievable 32-point, 13-rebound effort. The score was close, but the game was a tale of two halves.
The Johnnies came out rifling, hitting 4 threes en route to an early 20-5 first half lead. Senior floor general Jenkins, named to the Big East Honor Roll last week, rolled right into this one with 11 points, hitting three first half threes. Brady Dunlap, Coach Rick Pitino’s freshman revelation also earning Big East weekly honors, continued establishing himself as a perimeter threat with three quick jumpers of his own. Jordan Dingle was St. John’s spark plug off the bench with nine points all in the first half. Their perimeter attack was highly efficient to start, shooting 56% overall from the field and 5-of-11 from 3 torching a typically stout Providence defense. Providence couldn’t match the early blows but hung around with an 8-point run by Jayden Pierre to end the half down 40-29.
Credit to coach Kim English of Providence, his team wasn’t going to roll over. They came out hungry to start the half, going on a 16-4 run grabbing their first lead of the game 45-44 with tough defense and quick offense. Fueled by none other than the engine of this team. Carter, scoring 23 of his 31 in the second half with gritty and relentless attacks on the basket. It didn’t matter who St. John’s threw on him, he was penetrating and getting to the rim. His aggression drew plenty of contact, drawing 10 fouls total on St. John’s. He proved valuable in so many ways, using his lengthy arms and hustle to rack up 13 boards with four steals. He put immense pressure on the defense by flipping sides quickly after change of possession. The outside shots St. John’s hit in the first half weren’t falling in the second half, and Providence tested their toughness inside.
When St. John’s struggled, they relied on their foundation. The Johnnies would play through their low post stud Soriano, who put up 14 of his 16 points in the second half. The Friars’ lead lasted no more than a minute as Jenkins began to set the table up for everyone, dishing six assists in the half with three on Soriano field goals. St. John’s couldn’t have won without help from the others though, most notably RJ Luis Jr., who provided a boost in his third start with Chris Ledlum dealing with injury. Luis Jr. would score 12 points, get a team-high three steals, and grab the single most important rebound after a missed free throw that would’ve put them up two points late. He’d finish with eight total rebounds, and Ledlum provided six boards himself in a limited 15 minutes of action.
St. John’s and Rick Pitino are starting to create a winning culture, looking totally different than the team we saw in November. Despite the close win, it provided plenty of areas they can still improve on. They currently sit atop the Big East with UConn and Seton Hall, playing the latter in a pivotal matchup next week in Newark. The Johnnies look to stake their claim in the Top-25 for the first time since January, 2019 by extending their win streak in another grueling Big East matchup at Creighton on Saturday.
Providence has struggled to fill the void left by Bryce Hopkins since his season-ending ACL tear against Seton Hall. Devin Carter contacted Coach English following the tragic injury, stating he’d rise to the occasion and shoulder the extra workload. Carter has solidified himself as one of the best combo guards in college basketball, this game no different. He’s a player just scratching the surface of his full basketball potential. Without Hopkins, Carter has averaged 28 points and 11.5 rebounds a game on 54% shooting in two losse. Providence has the will, and ability to get out of this rut. Going back home to the AMP against Xavier on Saturday is a premium bounce back spot.
This article was written by Justin Maldonado, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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