By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
St John’s Red Storm (16-9) blew out Butler Bulldogs (13-8), 92-70 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Johnnies extend their winning streak to seven games.
When St John’s went up 12-2 from the start, the Bulldogs couldn’t recover. St John’s played terrific basketball from start to finish. Guard Ian Jackson led the Red Storm with 18 points. Senior forward Dillon Mitchell recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 boards. Zuby Ejiofor added 15 points and six rebounds. Joson Sanon scored 13.
Butler’s forward Michael Ajayi had a game-high 19 points.
It’s St John’s second straight road win. St. John’s is 4-1 in Big East Conference play. The Red Storm must continue to play this dominantly. When the team plays this well on both ends of the floor, they are tough to beat.
Head coach Rick Pitino is amazed by the performances of Zuby and Dillion. Pitino let it be known during the postgame conference.
“Zuby is really adding to his game,” Pitino said. “He’s becoming a great passer, a willing passer, great passer. I also like to say that I’m having so much fun watching Dillion Mitchell play. I don’t think I ever said that in the 52 years of coaching a player.”
Pitino recently reached 900 career wins. There’s a reason why he’s won so many games. Players love playing for him and respect his coaching philosophy.
“It’s a big reason why I came here to play for Coach P,” Mitchell said. “The history he has and just the way he gets us to play. You hear a lot about it, but it’s way different being here. It’s like a family here.”
St John’s will return to action on Tuesday against DePaul at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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