St. John’s Rolls Past Saint Peter’s 91-70

Saturday, November 13

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

4 p.m.

St. John's University

2-0

Saint Peter's

0-2

Saint Peter's

St. John's (NY)

11/13/2021 8:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Julian Champagnie scores 22 to lead four Red Storm players in double figures

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's men's basketball team jumped out to an early lead and never looked back on Saturday in Carnesecca Arena, cruising to a 91-70 over Saint Peter's.

St. John's improved to 2-0 with the win while Saint Peter's, who was picked to finish second in the MAAC and lost by just three points in a hostile environment at VCU on Tuesday, fell to 0-2.

Junior wing Julian Champagnie eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the second time in as many opportunities this season, posting 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including a 5-for-10 showing from deep. The Brooklyn native and 2021 First Team All-BIG EAST selection also went a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.

Graduate transfer Tareq Coburn tallied 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including a second straight 3-for-5 showing from beyond the arc. Midway through the second half, the Queens native recorded his 1,000^th collegiate point on a midrange jumper. Coburn, a student in the highly selective physician assistant master's program at St. John's, sank 170 3-pointers in three years at Hofstra.

Posh Alexander narrowly missed a double-double, scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and matching a career high with nine assists. The reigning BIG EAST Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year sank two of his four long-range tries after going 4-for-5 from deep in the season opener.

Purdue transfer Aaron Wheeler reached double figures for the first time as a Johnnie, posting 11 points and seven boards in 18 minutes of action.

Joel Soriano finished with eight points, five boards and four blocks while Montez Mathis tallied seven points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Soriano's four rejections matched a career high while Mathis matched career-best marks for assists and steals.

Freshman O'Mar Stanley scored six points on a 3-for-3 effort from the floor. The Overland Park, Kan., native is now a perfect 10-for-10 from the field in his first two games as a Johnnie.

As a team, St. John's shot 50.8 percent from the floor and converted on 13 of their 29 attempts from long range (44.8%). The Red Storm also topped the 80 percent mark from the free throw line for the second straight game, going 18-for-22 from the charity stripe. The Johnnies also assisted on 20 of their 30 made field goals.

With the win, St. John's improved to 20-0 all-time against Saint Peter's dating back to their first meeting in 1910.

The Johnnies got off to a hot start, as Alexander and Champagnie sank triples on back-to-back possessions to kick off the contest, helping the Red Storm grab a 13-5 lead at the first media timeout.

After a layup from Saint Peter's Clarence Rupert to make it 13-7, St. John's responded with a 21-5 run, bumping its lead to 22, 34-12, on a Champagnie three with seven minutes remaining until the intermission. Coburn tallied eight consecutive points during the middle of the spurt.

St. John's built its advantage as high as 24 before entering the locker room with a 20-point edge, 47-27.

St. John's climbed ahead by as many as 27 early in the second half and led by no fewer than 17 at any point in the period.

St. John's will hit the road for the first time next week, traveling to Bloomington for a Wednesday matchup with the Indiana Hoosiers. Tip-off in the Gavitt Games showdown is set for 9 p.m. on FS1.