CHICAGO — In an impressive display, Kadary Richmond scored 17 points alongside nine rebounds, and Deivon Smith contributed 18 as No. 10 St. John’s clinched a commanding 82-58 victory over DePaul on Wednesday night. This triumph marked the team’s highest total of Big East wins in 26 years.
Sadiku Ibine Ayo added a personal best of 15 points while Zuby Ejiofor provided 13 points and nine boards, ensuring that St. John’s achieved its 12th win in the last 13 games. Under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, the Red Storm, now boasting a record of 23-4 overall and 14-2 in conference play, matched their highest number of wins in the Big East since the 1998-99 season, where they achieved a 14-4 record. St. John’s leads both No. 16 Marquette and Creighton by a solid 2 1/2 games.
Isaiah Rivera was the leading scorer for DePaul with 16 points, but the struggling Blue Demons, with a record of 11-16 overall and 2-14 in league play, faced their seventh loss in eight outings.
Key Takeaways
For St. John’s, the team managed a comfortable victory despite missing superstar RJ Luis Jr. due to a pulled groin injury. On the other hand, DePaul’s head coach Chris Holtmann took on a challenging role when assuming control of the program, and games like this highlight the significant rebuilding that is necessary.
Key Moment
The game was knotted at 20 when Ayo and Simeon Wilcher launched back-to-back three-pointers, allowing the Red Storm to seize the momentum. They followed this up with 11 consecutive points as part of a larger 16-2 run. DePaul’s Rivera managed to sink a three-pointer with just under two minutes left, but Ayo quickly replied with another three of his own, while Smith capped the scoring for St. John’s with a tip-in just 23 seconds before the final buzzer.
Key Stat
The Red Storm successfully converted nine three-pointers during the game, with Smith and Ayo each hitting three.
Upcoming Matches
Looking ahead, St. John’s will be aiming to secure a second victory over UConn in just over two weeks when they host the Huskies this coming Sunday. Meanwhile, DePaul will be facing Butler in a home game on Saturday.
