St. John’s Closes Non-Conference Play with 96-78 Win over Utah Valley

Saturday, January 23

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

4 p.m.

St. John's University

9-7, 3-6BE

Utah Valley

5-6, 3-0WAC

Utah Valley

St. John's

St. John’s Closes Non-Conference Play with 96-78 Win over Utah Valley

1/23/2021 7:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Posh Alexander scores 20 points to lead five Johnnies in double figures

QUEENS, N.Y. – Five St. John's players finished in double figures for the second straight game, leading the Red Storm to a 96-78 victory over Utah Valley in the team's non-conference finale on Saturday.

Freshman Posh Alexander eclipsed the 20-point mark for the first time in his career, scoring exactly that number on 8-of-15 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. The BIG EAST leader in steals also came up with three thefts and dished out a pair of assists.

The BIG EAST's leading scorer entering the weekend at 20.0 points per game, Julian Champagnie finished with 19 points, three rebounds and a pair of blocks for St. John's (9-7, 3-6 BIG EAST).

Vince Cole and Isaih Moore both reached double figures for the first time in 2021, as Cole netted 15 points and shot 3-of-5 from downtown while Moore tallied 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and six rebounds.

Rasheem Dunn scored 11 points for the second straight game in addition to recording six rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.

Marcellus Earlington and Dylan Addae-Wusu finished with seven points apiece while Josh Roberts, making his fourth straight start, pulled down a season-high seven boards and matched a career-high with four blocks.

The Red Storm, which ranked fourth in the nation in steals (10.1) entering the game, registered 13 thefts and forced 22 Utah Valley turnovers while surrendering just four of their own. The Johnnies' four miscues marked a season-low.

Playing its seventh and final non-conference game of the regular season, St. John's improved to 5-0 at home and 6-1 overall against non-league foes. The contest between the Wolverines and the Red Storm was announced on Wednesday, as both teams looked to fill long gaps in their conference schedules. The Johnnies return to BIG EAST action on Wednesday in Chicago against DePaul while Utah Valley will end a two-week WAC layoff on Friday.

Trey Woodbury led the way for Utah Valley, scoring a game-high 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting. He also grabbed five boards and dished out a team-high four assists.

The Red Storm set the tone early, as all five starters recorded a bucket and four picked up a steal in the first six minutes of action to take a 10-6 lead at the first media timeout.

Despite committing its fair share of turnovers against the Red Storm's pressure, the Wolverines (5-6, 3-0 WAC) found it hard to miss, making 12 of their first 17 field goal attempts (70.6%) and pulling ahead 28-27 with just over five minutes remaining in the opening half.

From there, the Red Storm scored the game's next 10 points to move ahead by nine and never looked back.

Leading by 11, 45-34, at the half, St. John's saw its lead dwindle down to seven two minutes into the second stanza, but responded with an 11-4 run to take a 58-44 lead on a pair of Champagnie free throws with 15:35 to play.

The Red Storm lead never dipped into single digits again, as the Johnnies pulled ahead by as many as 23 down the stretch before closing out their 96-78 victory.