St. John's opens slowly but finishes Merrimack in rout
St. John's Red Storm guard Posh Alexander controls the ball against the Merrimack College Warriors during an NCAA men's basketball game at Carnesecca Arena on Monday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Posh Alexander and his Red Storm teammates found themselves in a fight. One that maybe they did not expect, but a fight nonetheless.
They were facing an opponent who refused to go away, one who showed no fear. And for a team whose coach believes the expectation should be Big East Conference championship contention and possibly a national championship, St. John’s needed a leader.
Alexander heeded the call, and as a result St. John’s left Carnesecca Arena Monday night with a tougher-than-expected 97-72 season-opening win over Merrimack.
“He’s grown into that role,” St. John's coach Mike Anderson said of Alexander’s leadership.
Indeed, it was Alexander, in the span of 1:57 who put the game away. It began with a pass to Montez Mathis for a layup and a foul. Another pass to David Jones for a three. Yet another to Joel Soriano for a two-handed dunk. And then he completed the spurt with a layup.
“They,” said Anderson, referring to the team, “will follow his lead.”
Alexander was one of five Red Storm players to finish in double figures with 14. David Jones led all scorers with 21. Montez Mathis had 16, including scoring his 1,000th career point on a made free throw. Joel Soriano chipped in with 12 and Andre Curbelo had 13.
The positives was that the Red Storm used their speed and length to force Merrimack (0-1) into 21 turnovers, which led to 30 points. Transition play and finishing at the rim should be a trademark for St. John’s this season.
“The tempo was to our liking,” Anderson said.
Which leads into another area that could be a strength: Depth. Twelve players saw playing time, with Alexander’s 30:13 leading the team.
“The bench is going to be the strength of this basketball team,” Anderson said.
The Red Storm also rebounded well as they finished with an 47-26 advantage on the boards.
But their offensive play in the half court — specifically ball management and perimeter shooting — was lacking. St. John’s committed 29 turnovers and shot 38.5% from 3. Some of which could be attributed to the Warriors’ 2-3 zone defense.
“We have to take care of the ball,” Alexander said.
Jordan Minor and Derkack each scored 14 for Merrimack.
