November 15, 2021
The St. John's men's basketball team jumped out to an early lead and never looked back on Saturday in Carnesecca Arena, cruising to a 91-70 over Saint Peter's.
St. John's improved to 2-0 with the win while Saint Peter's, who was picked to finish second in the MAAC and lost by just three points in a hostile environment at VCU on Tuesday, fell to 0-2.
Junior wing Julian Champagnie eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the second time in as many opportunities this season, posting 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including a 5-for-10 showing from deep. The Brooklyn native and 2021 First Team All-BIG EAST selection also went a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.
Graduate transfer Tareq Coburn tallied 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including a second straight 3-for-5 showing from beyond the arc. Midway through the second half, the Queens native recorded his 1,000th collegiate point on a midrange jumper. Coburn, a student in the highly selective physician assistant master's program at St. John's, sank 170 3-pointers in three years at Hofstra.
Posh Alexander narrowly missed a double-double, scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and matching a career high with nine assists. The reigning BIG EAST Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year sank two of his four long-range tries after going 4-for-5 from deep in the season opener.
Purdue transfer Aaron Wheeler reached double figures for the first time as a Johnnie, posting 11 points and seven boards in 18 minutes of action.
Joel Soriano finished with eight points, five boards and four blocks while Montez Mathis tallied seven points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Soriano's four rejections matched a career high while Mathis matched career-best marks for assists and steals.
Freshman O'Mar Stanley scored six points on a 3-for-3 effort from the floor. The Overland Park, Kan., native is now a perfect 10-for-10 from the field in his first two games as a Johnnie.
As a team, St. John's shot 50.8 percent from the floor and converted on 13 of their 29 attempts from long range (44.8%). The Red Storm also topped the 80 percent mark from the free throw line for the second straight game, going 18-for-22 from the charity stripe. The Johnnies also assisted on 20 of their 30 made field goals.
With the win, St. John's improved to 20-0 all-time against Saint Peter's dating back to their first meeting in 1910.