January Joel Soriano came back at the right time.
The St. John’s captain was at his best when the fifth-seeded Johnnies needed him most.
He produced his best effort in recent weeks and was key to a 91-72 loss to No. 4 Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon.
“The big guys were great tonight,” coach Rick Pitino said. “If he plays like that in the future, it’s going to be difficult for us to win.”
Soriano struggled in St. John’s two regular-season losses to Seton Hall, losing to opponent Jaden Bediako.
He was by far the best big man on the court in the third matchup, finishing with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Bediako was held to seven points and one rebound in a largely ineffective 29 minutes.
“I knew I had to come in here and dominate the position,” Soriano, a Yonkers native, said. “Bediako, I think the last two times we played, he dominated me offensively, blocking shots, doing all the little things for the team. So I just want to get better. I just tried to [player] In my position today.and that’s what I’m trying to do [Friday]”
RJ Lewis sought out Pitino earlier in the week, but it had nothing to do with playing time.
The sophomore wing was scheduled to practice every day in preparation for Thursday’s game.
Lewis was limited all year due to shin splints and was unable to do much between games.
“He came to me and said, ‘Coach, this is an important time. We need to practice in March of this year,'” Pitino said. “I said, ‘Okay, how do you feel?’ He said, ‘That doesn’t matter.’ You need practice. “
Lewis responded with a strong performance, posting 18 points, nine rebounds, and two assists in 29 minutes.
That included a buzzer-beating pull-up jumper to end the first half and send St. John’s into the locker room with momentum and a five-point lead.
“I don’t think we’re able to do that yet in college,” Lewis said. “So, that was amazing.”
