Last year, St. John’s was really picking up momentum, showing they could perform when it counted.
On Saturday afternoon, though, Alabama stepped up their game.
The 15th-ranked Crimson Tide unleashed a crucial 14-1 run late in the game, securing a 103-96 win at the Garden and handing No. 5 St. John’s their first loss.
Despite battling back from an 11-point deficit and briefly seizing the lead, the Johnnies ultimately ran out of steam. They struggled to handle Alabama’s energetic guards, LaBaron Fillon and Aiden Holloway, who accounted for 46 points combined.
St. John’s was dominated in the paint, getting outscored 54-40, and fell behind by 15 points from beyond the arc.
They allowed 14 offensive rebounds and 19 points from second-chance opportunities.
Zuby Ejiofor delivered a solid performance with 27 points and 10 rebounds, though most of that came in the first half. Bryce Hopkins contributed 19 points, while Ian Jackson and Oziyah Sellers each added 14 points after a slow start, though Joeson Sanon had a rough outing, hitting just one of his seven attempts.
Missing from the lineup was Dylan Darling, the sole traditional point guard, sidelined by a calf injury.
Sellers managed six points and three assists during a critical stretch that fueled a 19-7 run in overtime, giving St. John’s a brief lead.
When Sanon finally hit a 3-pointer, the crowd erupted. St. John’s led for the first time since the opening moments with eight minutes left on the clock. But then the offense stalled, and Alabama quickly regained control, getting ahead by four points with just over four minutes remaining.
In the first half, St. John’s defenders struggled against Alabama’s guards. Holloway, Fearon, and Latrell Lightstell combined for 34 points on 13-of-22 shooting, creating open looks with their aggressive penetration.
Alabama closed the first half strong, finishing on a 16-6 run, capped by Holloway’s 3-pointer at the buzzer. They headed into halftime with a nine-point lead, having scored 53 points— the most St. John’s has allowed under coach Pitino’s three-year tenure.
Ejiofor and Hopkins made up the bulk of St. John’s scoring, combining for 36 of their 44 points. Meanwhile, Sellers, Jackson, and Sanon struggled, making just 1-of-10 attempts from the field and committing three turnovers. Honestly, it was somewhat of a miracle that they were only down by nine points at that point, considering they were outperformed in the paint and from the three-point line.
After halftime, Johnny and Jackson came out strong, narrowing the margin to just two points. But Alabama quickly responded with nine points in a row, pushing their lead to 11— the largest of the game. St. John’s fought to stay in it, but it never really felt like they could turn the tide. Alabama always seemed to have an answer.
