Wednesday night’s victory was a microcosm of St. John’s season up to this point.
Slow starts and fast finishes.
The Johnnies have frequently had shaky first halves and strong performances after halftime.
Their third straight win followed a similar pattern.
They were shaky over the first 20 minutes, their defense was a step slow and they were soft on the glass. Then, a flip switched.
St. John’s shook Bryant with a furious 21-3 run that turned a one-point lead into an 18-point lead with 8:48 to go.
It was academic from that point on, the Johnnies cruising to a 99-77 victory.
Zuby Ejiofor led the way, continuing his recent run of dominance with 22 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.
RJ Luis and Aaron Scott (10 rebounds) each had 17 points and Simeon Wilcher and Deivon Smith followed with 14 apiece.
All told, they have outscored the opposition by 99 points after the break, the lone anomaly the double-overtime loss to Baylor when they were minus-14 in the second half.
It happened against Kansas State on Saturday, when St. John’s exploded for 53 points, and in several of its buy games — contests in which a lower-level opponent are paid to make the trip to Queens.
The Johnnies have regularly come out with a different level of focus, intensity and resolve.
It was the case again against Bryant. After halftime, St. John’s was plus-14 on the glass, plus-10 in the paint and forced Bryant to into 11 turnovers.
The Red Storm showed up, after treating the first 25 minutes or so like it was a scrimmage.
The game turned on that 21-3 run that included nine points from Ejiofor.
Most importantly, the defense stepped to the forefront.
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