Chris Obekpa helps steady St. John's in opening win
Chris Obekpa of St. John's scores two of his 10 first half points against NJIT in St. John's home opener at Carnesecca Arena, Queens, NY on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014. Credit: Errol Anderson
For two weeks, St. John's basketball has dealt with a frontcourt in flux.
Keith Thomas, a transfer who led the NJCAA in rebounds last season, was deemed academically ineligible for 2014-15. Red Storm starting center Chris Obekpa sprained his left ankle. And now the latest drama: The NCAA ruled 7-foot freshman Adonis De La Rosa academically ineligible (Tuesday) and then eligible (Thursday, and possibly only temporarily, as it comes courtesy of a St. John's appeal). Steve Lavin said he likely won't play De La Rosa until all is resolved.
With all that uncertainty behind the scenes, there must have been a strong sense of relief in the certainty of Friday night's season opener, a 77-58 rout over NJIT at Carnesecca Arena. Even better, they were led by Obekpa, who had a career-high 13 points, 13 rebounds (which tied a career high) and four blocks.
Sir'Dominic Pointer also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Rysheed Jordan led all scorers with 18 points and added five assists, and D'Angelo Harrison (10 points) moved to ninth on the St. John's all-time scoring list (1,611).
"Everyone has picked up their game," Harrison said. "This guy [Obekpa] is going to have breakout games . . . all the time. [He'll have] a career high next game and a career high after that and a career high after that."
The individual results were enough to overshadow a game that Lavin called "disjointed." St. John's was plagued with foul trouble early and was 2-for-16 from three-point range. The Highlanders drew within 55-43 with 9:36 left, thanks to a 13-3 run.
"We're pleased with our defense, but there are a number of areas that we have to continue to work on," Lavin said. "We never established a rhythm, and that was a result of the foul trouble."
The Red Storm had plenty of cushion thanks to NJIT's misfiring offense, which managed only three points in the first six-plus minutes and ended the first half shooting 13.8 percent. The Highlanders had 10 turnovers in the first half as St. John's took a 37-19 lead.
In the second half, with Harrison (five fouls), Jamal Branch (four fouls) and Obekpa (three fouls) on the ropes, St. John's relied heavily on the athleticism of its 2-2-1 full-court press to keep their lead in double digits. "We got into foul trouble and we also got some cheap fouls," Branch said. "We have seniors, so we know we can adjust."
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
