St. John’s Rolls to a 104-77 Victory at DePaul

Tuesday, March 5

Chicago, Ill. (Wintrust Arena)

9 p.m.

St. John's University

18-12,10-9Big East

104

DePaul

3-27,0-19Big East

St. John's (NY)

104

DePaul

3/6/2024 12:06:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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The Red Storm tied a program record for most points in a BIG EAST game on Tuesday in Chicago

CHICAGO – The St. John's men's basketball team (18-12, 10-9) tied a program record for most points in a BIG EAST game in its 104-77 victory over DePaul (3-27, 0-19) inside Wintrust Arena on Tuesday. Chris Ledlum and Jordan Dingle each scored a team-high 19 points and combined to shoot 16-for-21 from the field to help lead the Red Storm to its fourth-straight victory.

The Johnnies scored 54 points in the first half, marking the most in a half this season. St. John's shot 66.7 percent (22-33 FG) in the opening frame to take a 26-point lead into the break, which was the team's largest halftime advantage in a league matchup since Jan. 3, 2000, when the Red Storm led Pitt by 31.

St. John's 104 points matched the program's previous scoring high in BIG EAST play dating back to a 34-point victory against Providence on Feb. 15, 1999. The Johnnies finished the game with a 60.3 field goal percentage (41-68 FG).

The Red Storm outrebounded DePaul by 18 and scored 21 second-chance points. Ledlum pulled down a squad-leading eight rebounds. On the offensive end of the floor, St. John's was highly efficient dishing out 26 assists while committing just six turnovers. Dingle handed out a team-best six assists.

Freshman guard Simeon Wilcher tallied a season-best 12 points with a trio of 3-pointers. Daniss Jenkins matched Dingle and Wilcher with three triples, finishing with 11 points. Nahiem Alleyne and RJ Luis Jr. recorded identical lines of 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor with a 3-pointer and a pair of free-throws.

The Red Storm never trailed in the contest en route to its eighth BIG EAST victory by double figures. The Johnnies led by as many as five through the first 11 minutes before turning on the jets over the final nine minutes of the half. Dingle sparked the offense with five straight points, including a 3-pointer to cap off a quick 7-0 spurt to go up 31-22 with 7:28 remaining. The senior guard finished the half with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor.

After Elijah Fisher cut the Blue Demons' deficit down to seven on two occasions, the Johnnies exploded on a 21-2 run to end the half. Ledlum and Alleyne sparked a surge with back-to-back 3-pointers that ballooned to 16-straight points for St. John's in just over three minutes of action. The Red Storm carried a 54-28 lead into intermission with Ledlum and Alleyne recording 12 and nine points, respectively.

The Red Storm opened a 30-point advantage just a minute into the second frame on a Jenkins 3-pointer. The Johnnies went up by as many as 44 in the second half as Wilcher started a 12-3 run with back-to-back triples that gave the Red Storm its largest lead of the contest.

DePaul cut its deficit down 27 before the final buzzer, closing the game on a 29-12 run. The Blue Demons' leading scorer Chico Carter Jr. tallied 12 of his 23 points in the second half.

St. John's will wrap up the regular season on Saturday when Georgetown comes to town for Senior Day at Madison Square Garden. FOX will carry the national broadcast for the 12 p.m. showdown.