Just when the game was heading in the wrong direction, when it looked like St. John's might follow in the footsteps of fellow Big East program Seton Hall.
When Butler and Villanova lost bye games, Brady Dunlap stepped up to the occasion.
With starting forward Aaron Scott on the bench with the flu and the Johnnies in a shaky situation on both ends, Dunlap hit a few big 3-pointers to keep the game close at halftime. Then my teammates woke up too.
Although overshadowed by many of the big additions to the roster, Dunlap remains an important part of this team, and he showed that on Saturday afternoon.
St. John's overcame a slow start to defeat MAAC preseason champion Quinnipiac 96-73 at Carnesecca Arena, with Dunlap scoring a career-high 20 points and sinking five 3-pointers.
The Johnnies (2-0) did not play well in the first half.
They lost rebounds, were led in the paint and had zero second-chance points.
The second half was the opposite.
St. John's was plus-10 on the glass, plus-16 in scoring in the paint and had 10 second-chance points after halftime.
He scored 38 of the first 53 points of the game after intermission and poured in 27 points in transition in the final 20 minutes.
RJ Lewis led the way with 24 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, and Davon Scott added 13 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals.
Simeon Wilcher scored 13 of his 14 points after the break, and Kadary Richmond had a quiet performance with six rebounds and six assists.
Trailing by four points at halftime, St. John's opened the period with a 22-8 run.
After back-to-back baskets from Lewis and Smith, the lead reached double digits for the first time and the rout ensued.
