CINCINNATI — For RJ Lewis Jr., it was a night he’d like to forget.
The explosive winger struggled mightily for 14 minutes after coming off the bench.
It was no surprise that St. John’s lost 88-77 to Xavier on Wednesday night at the Cintas Center.
If Lewis scores in double figures, the Johnnies will improve to 5-1. If he doesn’t, they’re 1-4.
Against Xavier, he scored just five points on 2-of-7 shooting, had three turnovers, and had no assists or rebounds.
“I think RJ has to start playing better within the confines of running the offense,” coach Rick Pitino said. “It’s really hard for RJ not to practice. It’s really hard.”
It’s been a star-crossed season for the 6-foot-7 UMass transfer.
He missed the beginning of the season with a broken bone in his left hand, then played in one game before being sidelined again with chronic shin splints.
Injuries have prevented him from practicing multiple times between games, limiting his development.
“He didn’t play well defensively or offensively,” Pitino said. “But I don’t think we’ll ever see R.J. play.” [his best] Because he doesn’t practice. He doesn’t get reps and doesn’t understand the offense the way other players do. It wasn’t his best night. ”
St. John’s has started a new program with Lewis.
After practicing hard, I take a day off to rest my shins before the match. At first, he only participated in practice on a limited basis.
The loss drops St. John’s into a four-way tie for fifth place with Butler in the Big East.
Xavier and Providence at 5-5.
All four teams are in fourth place, one game behind Seton Hall.
The top five teams will receive a first-round bye for the Big East Tournament.
Senior guard Nahiem Alleyne (right ankle) missed the last game but returned.
He played 11 minutes and scored two points on 1-of-4 shooting.
Sophomore wing Sadik Ibine Ayo will miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
Ibine Ayo, a transfer from Iona College, played in just five games for St. John’s this year as a rarely used reserve.
