New York, NY – It was a battle of the boroughs, as the Bronx’s Fordham University (5-6) would visit St. John’s (7-3) of Queens in the annual Holiday Festival matchup at Madison Square Garden. In St. John’s last outing,...
New York, NY – It was a battle of the boroughs, as the Bronx’s Fordham University (5-6) would visit St. John’s (7-3) of Queens in the annual Holiday Festival matchup at Madison Square Garden. In St. John’s last outing, they lost as a favorite to Boston College in the NABC Brooklyn Showcase, leaving many to wonder how Rick Pitino would prepare his squad to respond. They coasted wire to wire, getting a much-needed tune up win in their last game before conference play, pouncing Fordham 77-55.
This game started and ended on the defensive side, with Pitino making a clear emphasis on that end of the floor after allowing 86 points to Boston College. St. John’s would have their best defensive performance of the year forcing 21 turnovers, holding the Rams to 11% from 3, and 15-of-59 overall from the field respectively. The Red Storm were all over the court diving for loose balls, trapping hard on the ball, full court pressing, and jumping pass lanes with purpose. They weren’t willing to give up an inch on defense. It was a communal effort, with seven different players racking up steals.
Fordham, not known for being a perimeter shooting team, showed great persistence shooting numerous times at the rim despite negative results. Fordham came into the game 23rd in the nation at free throw attempts, with drawing fouls a clear part of their strategy. It proved successful, as the Rams took 26 free throws, dropping 23 of them led by Josh Rivera (9-of-10), who had a team-high 15 points. This combined with sloppy turnovers from St. John’s kept the Rams in the race throughout the first half, cutting the lead all the way down to 11. But no matter how many attempts at the line they got, it couldn’t compensate for the paint being locked down by senior center Joel Soriano.
Soriano, a former player of Fordham, had a clear chip on his shoulder to prove a point this game. He was the best player on both sides of the floor. The full package was on display, as Fordham sagged off initially daring him to shoot, to which he’d respond by hitting three jumpers in the first half. In the second half is when he’d exert his dominance in the post, with effortless, quick jump hooks. The Rams managed to cut the deficit to 12 with nine minutes left, and Soriano would counter by contributing eight of the next 16 points to help seal the deal. Defenders could be right in front of him, and his shots still looked uncontested. The Rams had nobody to match the brute size of Soriano at 6’11, with arms like tree branches. He’d set the tone with all three of his blocks in the first half including a thunderous chase down rejection. St. John’s and Rick Pitino has definite trust in him as their foundation to make plays at a high clip nightly, with the proper supporting cast around him. When all was said and done, Joel finished with 20 points, 10 boards, and three blocks, earning a standing ovation.
Their offensive performance would be a team effort as well, as six players not named Soriano scored six or more points. Harvard transfer Chris Ledlum got busy at the rim with 11 points in limited minutes. Ledlum is St. John’s best athlete at 6’6, 225 pounds, with trampoline-like bounce. His presence was felt from the pregame layup lines, throwing 360s and eastbay jams down with ferocity. He’d get his opportunity to show off after a timely baseline cut lead to a reverse dunk in traffic thanks to a dish out from Daniss Jenkins.
Jenkins is the lead orchestrator on offense for the Red Storm, handing out eight dimes this game and averaging nearly six a night. As the primary decision maker Jenkins takes good care of the ball with a tight handle, and simultaneously kept everybody involved. He creates space and easy passing lanes looking off defenders like a quarterback or by beating on ball pressure. His feel and instincts are a pleasure to watch, having incredibly active hands on defense forcing two blocks, a steal, and more turnovers on the full court press that won’t show up on the stat sheet.
St. John’s will try to keep up their momentum before a Big East home opener against Xavier this upcoming Wednesday. Fordham looks ahead to Central Connecticut State for a bounce-back victory.
This article was written by Justin Maldanado, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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