MILWAUKEE — Joel Soriano’s struggles reached a new low Saturday.
The St. John’s center did not start the second half and was replaced by reserve Zuby Ejiofor.
Manager Rick Pitino was upset that Soriano got a technical foul late in the first half and didn’t want Soriano to get fouled early after the break.
In the Johnnies’ 86-75 loss to Marquette at a packed Fiserv Forum, Soriano played just 17 minutes, a season low, and had just two points and five rebounds.
St. John’s season in the Big East was a reflection of Soriano, the team’s captain.
They had the best start early on, getting off to a 4-1 start when the Yonkers native was on a roll.
Since then, Soriano has fallen significantly, losing six of his last eight games.
During that span, he averaged 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds.
He averaged 16.4 points and 10.4 rebounds in his first five conference games.
Against Marquette, Ejiofor outscored Marquette with five points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in 23 minutes. Since transferring to Kansas, his game has improved recently, especially on the defensive side of the ball, where Soriano’s struggles were most evident.
What upset Pitino most was the technical foul when Soriano briefly shoved him from behind after fouling Marquette forward Oso Ighodalo. It was his second personal foul.
“The only thing that’s frustrating to me is that he got a technical foul for no rhyme or reason,” Pitino said. “This is his second foul, so we can’t start him in the second half.
Zuby played well and had no problems. ”
Freshmen Brady Dunlap and Simeon Wilcher did not play.
Wilcher has sat out two of the last three games.
St. John’s has lost six straight to Marquette. …The Johnnies have lost four straight on the road.
