New York, NY — St. John’s delivered an emphatic response to its recent struggles, defeating seventh-ranked Texas 87-74 in an exhibition matchup Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. In front of 11,011 fans, the Red Storm showcased the offensive firepower, defensive pressure and physical toughness that head coach Rick Pitino has been demanding.
The performance marked a significant turnaround from the team’s quadruple-overtime victory over Rutgers a week earlier. Pitino had urged patience while his revamped roster adjusted to a new system, even cautioning that the matchup against Texas could expose the team’s weaknesses.
Instead, St. John’s made considerable progress and controlled much of the contest against one of the nation’s highly regarded programs.
Pitino, a Hall of Fame coach, was pleased with how his players responded to his criticism and instructions during practice.
“I felt that we had to make a quantum leap from the Rutgers game,” Pitino said. “I was on them constantly about certain things and they made a quantum leap today.”
The Red Storm’s offensive production was led by Keyshawn Hall, Ian Jackson and Tounde Yessoufou, who combined for 65 points on 23-of-41 shooting. Hall led the way with 24 points, connecting on eight of his 13 field-goal attempts, while Yessoufou added 23 points and made his presence felt throughout the game.
Hall said the team entered the matchup determined to establish its identity and prevent Texas from dictating the physical nature of the contest.
“We wanted to come out and set a standard and be dominant in our home court,” Hall said. “We had to come out and not let them guys get ahead of us or be more physical than us and play harder than us.”
Hall believes St. John’s possesses the skill to compete with the best teams in college basketball, but emphasized that toughness and attention to detail will determine how far the Red Storm can go.
“We match up skill-wise with probably anybody in the country,” Hall said. “It’s the physical toughness and little intangibles that are going to matter.”
St. John’s demonstrated that toughness against a Texas team that made significant additions during the offseason. The Longhorns brought in forward David Punch from TCU, point guard Isaiah Johnson from Colorado and wing Elyjah Freeman from Auburn, while retaining center Matas Vokietaitis.
The matchup provided a valuable test for the Red Storm before the regular season begins. Last year, St. John’s faced eventual national champion Michigan in an exhibition contest that went to overtime, making Sunday’s convincing result an encouraging development.
One of the most noticeable improvements came inside the paint. St. John’s had been outrebounded in its first two exhibition games against Drexel and Rutgers, raising questions about whether the team could consistently compete against bigger opponents.
Against Texas, the Red Storm reversed that trend. They finished with a five-rebound advantage and outscored the Longhorns by 22 points in the paint, showing a willingness to attack the basket and battle for position.
Yessoufou finished with 23 points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds, contributing on both ends of the floor. He credited Pitino’s emphasis on physical play for helping the team establish its presence.
“That’s the main key if you want to win, is to hit people,” Yessoufou said. “That’s what [Pitino] always emphasizes to all of us.”
The defensive effort was equally encouraging. St. John’s forced 16 turnovers and converted those mistakes into 20 points, consistently putting pressure on the Texas offense. The Red Storm also showed improved ball movement, recording 19 assists on 34 made field goals.
Quinn Ellis continued to demonstrate composure as a floor leader, finishing with seven assists while helping organize the offense. Freshman center Theo Edema also provided a valuable contribution off the bench, grabbing seven rebounds and giving St. John’s additional support in the frontcourt.
Despite the impressive victory, the players were quick to acknowledge that the team still has areas to improve. Hall and Yessoufou pointed to defensive lapses, inconsistent rebounding and possessions in which the Red Storm could have executed more effectively.
“This is a good win to give us confidence, but we have a long way to go,” Hall said.
That assessment reflects where St. John’s stands with the regular season approaching. The roster has been together for just over a month, and Pitino believes his players have learned only about half of what he wants them to understand on both ends of the court.
Jackson and Ruben Prey are the two key players returning from last season, leaving the coaching staff with the challenge of building chemistry among a largely new group. Sunday’s performance suggested that the team is beginning to make progress.
The victory could also provide a confidence boost ahead of the demanding Players Era Festival in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week, where St. John’s expects to face another challenging slate of competition.
Before then, the Red Storm will turn their attention to the regular-season opener against Monmouth on November 2.
The exhibition win does not eliminate every question surrounding the team, but it offered a promising glimpse of its potential. St. John’s showed that when its scoring ability is matched by defensive intensity, rebounding and physical play, it can compete with elite opposition.
For Pitino, the next challenge will be making that level of performance a consistent standard rather than a one-game breakthrough.
