St. John’s Men’s Basketball Overcomes Early Struggles in Exhibition Thriller Against Towson—What Changed the Game?

Alright, here’s the scoop: St. John’s came into Saturday’s tune-up against Towson with high hopes, fresh off snagging a fleet of sharpshooters from the transfer portal. You’d think the Red Storm’s notorious cold shooting from beyond the arc would be a thing of the past. But nope — the early stages had them ice-cold, missing shot after shot. Still, just like we’ve seen time and again last season, these guys didn’t crumble under pressure. Nope, they clawed back from a daunting double-digit hole, sparked a second-half surge, and sealed a gritty 73-63 victory. It’s that resilience that has me keeping my eyes wide open for what’s next this season… LEARN MORE

Although St. John’s added an arsenal of skilled shooters through the transfer portal this offseason and hoped those long-range woes were behind them, they struggled to find the bottom of the net in Saturday’s dress rehearsal versus Towson. However, like they did on numerous occasions last season, the Red Storm came back from a double-digit deficit and flipped momentum with a big second-half run to win a 73-63 slugfest.

Towson missed their first nine shots, but remained in control thanks to the Red Storm’s frosty 3-of-15 start from the field. Jaquan Womack hit a triple with 9:08 remaining in the first half to give the Tigers their first lead, and they built enough of a cushion to enter halftime with a 29-21 edge. Shockingly, the Red Storm only pulled down five fewer rebounds at the break.

That deficit grew to as many as 11 points in the second half, but St. John’s finally showed life, trimming the gap to eight points with 15:23 left in the second half before starting a prolonged 33-8 run to pull away.

Bryce Hopkins did not falter, even during the Red Storm’s leanest offensive stretches, recording a team-high 13 points (5-of-9 from the field), six rebounds, four assists, and three steals off the bench. Five other Johnnies posted at least eight points, including Sadiku Ibine Ayo. All nine of the senior wing’s points came during the Johnnies’ pivotal second half bounce-back.

Even though Zuby Ejiofor had an uncharacteristically rough game, scoring nine points on just 2-of-10 from the field, his newest frontcourt partner Dillon Mitchell stepped up to initiate the comeback. The Cincinnati transfer scored six of his eight points in the second half and snagged three steals in total, impressing on defense and in transition.

However, a major difference from Saturday’s comeback to the Johnnies’ many rallies last season was their tidy performance at the charity stripe. St. John’s shot 80.8 percent from the free throw line (21-of-26), a rate they shot better than in only six games in the 2024-25 season.

The Red Storm will take on No. 7 Michigan in their second and final preseason exhibition next Saturday, October 25. Tip-off at Madison Square Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on Big Ten+.