Pitino wears all white, St. John's shreds No. 15 Creighton 80-66 for best win under new coach
NEW YORK (AP) Dressed in white from head to toe, Rick Pitino and his St. John's players handed No. 15 Creighton a humbling defeat.
Daniss Jenkins scored a season-high 27 points and St. John's shredded the Bluejays 80-66 on Sunday for its best win yet under the Hall of Fame coach.
Jordan Dingle added 18 points and the Red Storm (16-12, 8-9 Big East) finally closed out a quality conference opponent following a string of blown leads. They put together a clinical performance from start to finish in front of a roaring, chanting crowd of 12,061 at Madison Square Garden, making all 10 free throws and racking up 24 assists to only three turnovers while holding the Bluejays (20-8, 11-6) to 6-for-26 shooting (23%) from 3-point range.
“I think we learned a lot tonight, what great basketball looks like,” said Pitino, in his first season at St. John's.
On the sideline, the 71-year-old Pitino looked a little like Colonel Sanders in his all-white suit and shoes as the Red Storm encouraged a “whiteout” among fans on Johnnies Day at MSG.
“I actually wasn’t gonna wear it. It was a last-minute thing,” Pitino said, explaining that his wife prodded him repeatedly. “My players were gonna get a big kick out of it and that’s why I did it."
So on Saturday afternoon, he strolled over to the Armani store a half-block from his apartment and asked for a little help picking out some new digs.
“I couldn't fit in the old one,” Pitino said, drawing laughs.
"He came out with that on, you can't lose," said Jenkins, who shot 12 for 18 and added six assists, two steals and two blocks.
Joel Soriano had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Red Storm, who entered 0-5 against Top 25 opponents this season. Glenn Taylor Jr. finished with a team-high 10 rebounds and six assists.
“Anytime we tried to be a little bit more aggressive, they made the extra pass and turned a good shot into a better shot,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “They moved it so well today.”
Trey Alexander scored a season-best 31 points for the Bluejays, who had won four straight and seven of nine. They were coming off an eye-opening blowout of UConn at home Tuesday night that ended the Huskies’ 14-game winning streak and marked the program’s first victory over a top-ranked team.
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocks for Creighton, which won the previous seven meetings between the schools.
St. John's led by nine in the second half Jan. 13 at Creighton before losing 66-65 in a game that featured 18 lead changes and seven ties.
“I'm not surprised. I was impressed with them the first time we played,” McDermott said. “They can beat anyone on any given night.”
BIG PICTURE
Creighton: The Bluejays will be back at MSG in 2 1/2 weeks looking to win the Big East Tournament for the first time. They still have a little work to do to clinch a first-round bye.
St. John's: A week ago, Pitino publicly tore into his players after they blew a 19-point lead in a home loss to Seton Hall. He apologized and clarified some of those comments following Wednesday night's victory at struggling Georgetown, but the Red Storm have responded with two consecutive wins after dropping eight of 10.
“It’s about time,” Dingle said. “We had too many that we gave away.”
Whether a strong finish could still be enough to earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid remains to be seen.
UP NEXT
Creighton: Will host Seton Hall on Wednesday night. In their first matchup, the Bluejays won 97-94 in triple overtime on Jan. 20 behind Kalkbrenner's 28 points and seven blocks in 54 minutes on the floor.
St. John’s: Plays at Butler on Wednesday night. St. John's won the first meeting 86-70 in early January at Carnesecca Arena on campus.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Ryan Kalkbrenner vs. Joel Soriano (Red Storm gains possession) | |||
19:41 | +2 | Jordan Dingle makes two point jump shot (Glenn Taylor Jr. assists) | 0-2 | |
19:07 | Steven Ashworth misses two point jump shot | |||
19:06 | Bluejays offensive rebound | |||
19:06 | Bluejays turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
18:46 | Glenn Taylor Jr. misses two point jump shot | |||
18:44 | Baylor Scheierman defensive rebound | |||
18:19 | Trey Alexander turnover (bad pass) (Chris Ledlum steals) | |||
18:05 | +2 | Daniss Jenkins makes two point jump shot (Joel Soriano assists) | 0-4 | |
17:57 | +3 | Baylor Scheierman makes three point jump shot | 3-4 | |
17:37 | Daniss Jenkins misses two point layup | |||
17:35 | Ryan Kalkbrenner defensive rebound | |||
17:15 | +2 | Ryan Kalkbrenner makes two point dunk (Steven Ashworth assists) | 5-4 | |
17:07 | +2 | Joel Soriano makes two point jump shot (Glenn Taylor Jr. assists) | 5-6 | |
16:47 | Baylor Scheierman misses three point jump shot | |||
16:46 | Red Storm defensive rebound | |||
16:32 | +2 | Daniss Jenkins makes two point layup (Glenn Taylor Jr. assists) | 5-8 | |
16:27 | Daniss Jenkins personal foul (Trey Alexander draws the foul) | |||
16:09 | Trey Alexander misses two point jump shot | |||
16:07 | Ryan Kalkbrenner offensive rebound | |||
16:06 | +2 | Ryan Kalkbrenner makes two point layup | 7-8 | |
16:06 | Joel Soriano shooting foul (Ryan Kalkbrenner draws the foul) | |||
16:06 | +1 | Ryan Kalkbrenner makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 8-8 | |
15:53 | +2 | Glenn Taylor Jr. makes two point layup | 8-10 | |
15:28 | Baylor Scheierman turnover (out of bounds) | |||
15:28 | TV timeout | |||
15:19 | +2 | Daniss Jenkins makes two point jump shot | 8-12 | |
14:45 | Baylor Scheierman misses three point jump shot | |||
14:45 | Bluejays offensive rebound | |||
14:45 | Bluejays turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
14:36 | +2 | Jordan Dingle makes two point jump shot (Daniss Jenkins assists) | 8-14 | |
14:21 | Joel Soriano blocks Trey Alexander's two point jump shot | |||
14:19 | Chris Ledlum defensive rebound | |||
14:13 | Glenn Taylor Jr. misses three point jump shot | |||
14:11 | Chris Ledlum offensive rebound | |||
14:06 | +2 | Chris Ledlum makes two point layup | 8-16 | |
13:56 | Steven Ashworth misses three point jump shot | |||
13:54 | Jasen Green offensive rebound | |||
13:46 | Joel Soriano blocks Jasen Green's two point layup | |||
13:44 | Joel Soriano defensive rebound | |||
13:37 | Joel Soriano misses two point layup | |||
13:35 | Baylor Scheierman defensive rebound | |||
13:13 | Baylor Scheierman misses three point jump shot | |||
13:13 | Red Storm defensive rebound | |||
13:03 | +2 | RJ Luis Jr. makes two point layup (Zuby Ejiofor assists) | 8-18 | |
12:30 | +2 | Trey Alexander makes two point jump shot | 10-18 | |
12:13 | +2 | Simeon Wilcher makes two point jump shot (Zuby Ejiofor assists) | 10-20 | |
12:03 | Baylor Scheierman misses three point jump shot | |||
12:01 | RJ Luis Jr. defensive rebound | |||
11:35 | Zuby Ejiofor misses two point hook shot | |||
11:33 | Ryan Kalkbrenner defensive rebound | |||
11:17 | Baylor Scheierman misses three point jump shot | |||
11:15 | RJ Luis Jr. defensive rebound | |||
11:01 | Zuby Ejiofor turnover (lost ball) (Baylor Scheierman steals) | |||
10:53 | +2 | Trey Alexander makes two point jump shot (Ryan Kalkbrenner assists) | 12-20 | |
10:53 | Nahiem Alleyne shooting foul (Trey Alexander draws the foul) | |||
10:53 | TV timeout | |||
10:53 | Trey Alexander misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
10:53 | Drissa Traore defensive rebound | |||
10:32 | +2 | Nahiem Alleyne makes two point jump shot (Zuby Ejiofor assists) | 12-22 | |
10:03 | +3 | Trey Alexander makes three point jump shot (Ryan Kalkbrenner assists) | 15-22 | |
9:40 | RJ Luis Jr. misses two point jump shot | |||
9:38 | Steven Ashworth defensive rebound | |||
9:25 | +3 | Trey Alexander makes three point jump shot (Ryan Kalkbrenner assists) | 18-22 | |
8:59 | Ryan Kalkbrenner blocks RJ Luis Jr.'s two point layup | |||
8:57 | Ryan Kalkbrenner defensive rebound | |||
8:47 | +2 | Steven Ashworth makes two point layup (Francisco Farabello assists) | 20-22 | |
8:27 | Nahiem Alleyne misses two point jump shot | |||
8:25 | Steven Ashworth defensive rebound | |||
8:17 | Steven Ashworth misses three point jump shot | |||
8:15 | Zuby Ejiofor defensive rebound | |||
8:08 | RJ Luis Jr. misses two point jump shot | |||
8:06 | Steven Ashworth defensive rebound | |||
8:00 | +2 | Baylor Scheierman makes two point layup (Steven Ashworth assists) | 22-22 | |
8:00 | Zuby Ejiofor shooting foul (Baylor Scheierman draws the foul) | |||
8:00 | TV timeout | |||
8:00 | +1 | Baylor Scheierman makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 23-22 | |
7:44 | +2 | Daniss Jenkins makes two point jump shot (Joel Soriano assists) | 23-24 | |
7:21 | +2 | Steven Ashworth makes two point layup (Francisco Farabello assists) | 25-24 | |
7:00 | +2 | Simeon Wilcher makes two point jump shot | 25-26 | |
6:43 | Baylor Scheierman turnover (out of bounds) | |||
6:32 | Ryan Kalkbrenner blocks Daniss Jenkins's two point layup | |||
6:30 | Red Storm offensive rebound | |||
6:24 | Joel Soriano misses two point jump shot | |||
6:22 | Baylor Scheierman defensive rebound | |||
6:15 | Simeon Wilcher personal foul (Baylor Scheierman draws the foul) | |||
5:51 | Daniss Jenkins blocks Trey Alexander's three point jump shot | |||
5:49 | Bluejays offensive rebound | |||
5:49 | Bluejays turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
5:38 | +2 | Joel Soriano makes two point layup (Daniss Jenkins assists) | 25-28 | |
5:26 | Trey Alexander misses three point jump shot | |||
5:24 | Glenn Taylor Jr. defensive rebound | |||
5:14 | +2 | Simeon Wilcher makes two point jump shot (Joel Soriano assists) | 25-30 | |
5:10 | Bluejays 30 second timeout | |||
4:43 | Ryan Kalkbrenner misses two point layup | |||
4:41 | Glenn Taylor Jr. defensive rebound | |||
4:36 | Ryan Kalkbrenner shooting foul (Glenn Taylor Jr. draws the foul) | |||
4:36 | +1 | Glenn Taylor Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-31 | |
4:36 | +1 | Glenn Taylor Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 25-32 | |
4:13 | +3 | Trey Alexander makes three point jump shot (Baylor Scheierman assists) | 28-32 | |
3:56 | +2 | Daniss Jenkins makes two point layup | 28-34 | |
3:35 | Chris Ledlum blocks Baylor Scheierman's two point layup | |||
3:33 | Joel Soriano defensive rebound | |||
3:27 | +3 | Chris Ledlum makes three point jump shot (Daniss Jenkins assists) | 28-37 | |
3:20 | Baylor Scheierman turnover (lost ball) (Daniss Jenkins steals) | |||
3:18 | Steven Ashworth personal foul (Daniss Jenkins draws the foul) | |||
3:18 | TV timeout | |||
3:03 | Joel Soriano misses two point jump shot | |||
3:01 | Ryan Kalkbrenner defensive rebound | |||
2:46 | Daniss Jenkins blocks Steven Ashworth's three point jump shot | |||
2:44 | Bluejays offensive rebound | |||
2:37 | Trey Alexander misses two point jump shot | |||
2:35 | Jasen Green offensive rebound | |||
2:27 | Jordan Dingle personal foul (Trey Alexander draws the foul) | |||
2:21 | Baylor Scheierman misses three point jump shot | |||
2:19 | Chris Ledlum defensive rebound | |||
2:11 | Jordan Dingle misses two point jump shot | |||
2:09 | Trey Alexander defensive rebound | |||
1:55 | Ryan Kalkbrenner misses three point jump shot | |||
1:53 | Chris Ledlum defensive rebound | |||
1:37 | Jordan Dingle misses three point jump shot | |||
1:35 | Joel Soriano offensive rebound | |||
1:29 | +2 | Jordan Dingle makes two point dunk (Daniss Jenkins assists) | 28-39 | |
1:07 | Ryan Kalkbrenner misses two point layup | |||
1:05 | Glenn Taylor Jr. defensive rebound | |||
1:01 | Jordan Dingle misses three point jump shot | |||
0:59 | Steven Ashworth defensive rebound | |||
0:54 | Steven Ashworth misses three point jump shot | |||
0:53 | Red Storm defensive rebound | |||
0:43 | +2 | Daniss Jenkins makes two point jump shot (Zuby Ejiofor assists) | 28-41 | |
0:01 | Trey Alexander misses two point jump shot | |||
0:00 | Zuby Ejiofor defensive rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |