St. John’s passed a huge test when they ran 16th-ranked Marquette out of Carneseca Arena on New Year’s night, in Queens.
St. John’s guard Mustapha Heron — Image credit: Kevin Hagen/Associated Press
The Red Storm’s 89-69 victory over the Golden Eagles was the signature win missing from an otherwise impressive start to their overall record.
There were no signs of a hangover from their brutal loss to Seton Hall. What there was, however, was convincing proof the Big East preseason hype about this team is indeed real.
The win, in front of a sellout crowd of 5,602, gave St. John’s (13-1, 1-1) their first conference win of the season.
What’s working so well for St. John’s is their focus on sticking with the fundamentals. Ball Movement, spacing, rebounding, and defense. They’re consistent in every way and when they’re clicking it’s really fun to watch.
St. John’s securing their first signature win was all that was missing from the resume.
The Red Storm snapped Marquette’s eight-game win streak. They limited the Golden Eagles to 42 percent shooting from the field. St. John’s held Marquette’s leading scorer, Markus Howard, to 2-for-15 shooting.
Marquette (11-3, 0-1) head coach Steve Wojciechowski, after the game doubled-down on what many across the nation were already thinking about St. John’s.
Steve Wojciechowski on St. John's: "You're looking at one of the Top 20 teams in the country. They're every bit as good or better as anyone we've played so far." #SJUBB
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 2, 2019
Shamorie Ponds (26 points, seven assists, five rebounds) continues to be the engine that makes the offense go for St. John’s. He took the loss against Seton Hall personally and came out aggressive against Marquette.
Ponds is the face on all the advertising for St. John’s this season, but all indications point towards him being the first to tell everyone the team-first mentality is this team’s biggest strength.
Marvin Clark II, LJ Figueroa, Justin Simon, and Mustapha Heron round out a dangerous starting five which is giving opponents matchup nightmares. Heron exploded for all 16 of his points in the second half against Marquette. Their ability to space the floor, get out on the fast break, and knock down three-pointers give Ponds the tools to be a maestro running the offense.
When Ponds hit Heron, on a fast break for a dunk which helped seal the win over Marquette, Carneseca Arena exploded. Television cameras flashed to coaching legend Lou Carneseca and showed his approval. It was a feel-good moment for the fans on campus, watching from home and tweeting their excitement.
A couple of exciting plays on the fast break and a few fist pumps don’t show the big picture with this team. There’s a bigger canvas they’re working on. This team’s hungry, focused, and fully dialed-in on earning respect one game and one win at a time.
And they’re doing it together, as a unit.
