Maybe coming off the bench is a good fit for Ian Jackson.
He seemed perfectly fine with that on Thursday night.
The Bronx native and North Carolina State commit expressed supportive thoughts about his role on Wednesday and then proved it, scoring 20 points for St. John’s in their dominant 97-49 win against Bucknell at Carnesecca Arena.
Jackson is starting to look like a high school recruit who confidently drives to the basket—a positive sign for St. John’s as they gear up for an important week ahead in Las Vegas beginning Monday.
In just 21 minutes, he also contributed four rebounds and three assists, with St. John’s outscoring Bucknell by 33 points while Jackson was on the court.
It was a strong performance overall for St. John’s as they prepare to face No. 16 Iowa State, Baylor, and another opponent to be decided in Las Vegas.
Bryce Hopkins also had a notable night with 20 points, including three 3-pointers, while Ruben Prey added 14 points and three steals. Joeson Sanon chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds.
Dillon Mitchell really stood out, achieving a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, along with four steals and three blocks. His coast-to-coast two-handed dunk really got the crowd excited.
The Red Storm set a season high, sinking 10 three-pointers out of 25 attempts.
At one point in the game, specifically with 24 minutes and 43 seconds remaining, St. John’s held a 43-point lead over Bucknell.
Remarkably, it marks the first time in the program’s history that they’ve scored 90 points or more in their first four games.
Similar to their blowout win against William & Mary the previous Saturday, they started a bit slowly. The initial lineup struggled, quickly falling behind by six points early on. But Rick Pitino took charge and substituted five players in what looked like a wholesale change.
It worked, as St. John’s finished the first half with a strong 23-7 run, leading by 16 points at halftime.
The lead grew to 30 points early in the second half, which allowed Pitino to experiment with different lineups, including a group featuring more guards than in previous games—perhaps foreshadowing their strategy for Las Vegas.
