St John's defeats Marquette 92-68
St John's Dominates Marquette in Statement Win
The Carnesecca Arena was electric on Wednesday night as the St John's Red Storm welcomed the Marquette Golden Eagles to their home turf, but it wasn't exactly the welcoming committee they got. In a dominating performance, the home team came out swinging and never looked back, cruising to an 92-68 victory over the visiting Marquette.
The game was a statement win for the Red Storm, who proved they're a force to be reckoned with in conference play. From the opening tip, it was clear that St John's had other plans – their home crowd fed off their energy as they built an early lead that would prove insurmountable.
Halftime arrived with the Red Storm holding a slim 40-34 advantage, but it was merely a temporary reprieve for Marquette. The second half saw St John's pull away, outscoring their visitors by 24 points to seal the deal. The largest lead of the night belonged to St John's, as they extended their cushion with ease.
St John's had several key contributors on the night, but standout Oziyah Sellers led the way with 24 points and 4 three-pointers made. Bryce Hopkins chipped in with 8 rebounds and 12 points, while Dillon Mitchell provided a spark off the bench with 8 assists to boot. The Red Storm's balanced attack was too much for Marquette to handle.
On the other side of the court, Chase Ross led the charge for Marquette with 20 points, but his team ultimately couldn't keep up. Nigel James Jr. and Michael Phillips II rounded out the top scoring trio, but it wasn't enough to get the job done.
St John's Game Stats:
- Field Goals: 33/65 (51.0%)
- 2-Point FG: 28/46 (60.9%)
- 3-Point FG: 5/19 (26.0%)
- Free Throws: 21/24 (88.0%)
- Rebounds: 39
- Assists: 20
- Turnovers: 12
- Steals: 9
- Blocks: 2
Marquette Game Stats:
- Field Goals: 23/49 (47.0%)
- 2-Point FG: 18/34 (52.9%)
- 3-Point FG: 5/15 (33.0%)
- Free Throws: 17/27 (63.0%)
- Rebounds: 26
- Assists: 10
- Turnovers: 19
- Steals: 7
- Blocks: 4
The final score was no surprise, given the way St John's played their home game. A statement win for a conference opponent is always significant, and this one will be remembered as a decisive victory in the books.
For Marquette, it was an early season setback that could prove costly down the line if they can't bounce back from this loss.