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St. John’s Basketball: 3 takeaways from Red Storm’s narrow win over Rider

By Nicholas Diamantis

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 18: Head coach Mike Anderson of the St. John's Red Storm reacts against the Seton Hall Pirates at Madison Square Garden on January 18, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 18: Head coach Mike Anderson of the St. John's Red Storm reacts against the Seton Hall Pirates at Madison Square Garden on January 18, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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St. John’s Basketball Greg Williams Jr.  Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports /

St. Johns Basketball finds a way to avoid a catastrophic loss against the Broncs, thanks to Vince Cole’s heroic 2nd half performance.

The St. John’s Basketball program has been a complete enigma all season. One night, the Johnnies can control the tempo of play and dominate its opponents for a majority of the 40 minutes. Some nights, including tonight’s three-point victory over Rider, the Red Storm can struggle for 30-35 minutes and still find a way to give themselves a chance to win the game.

Mike Anderson‘s squad needed to scratch and claw its way back into this game on their home hardwood, just like they did in their home opener against Saint Peter’s on Nov. 25. Rider held the lead for over 20 minutes of the contest and, at one point, controlled an 11 point lead over the hosting Johnnies in the second half.

Despite its offensive struggles through most of the matchup, the Red Storm were able to compose themselves and swerve the momentum in their favor in the final minutes.

Down 72-68 with 3 minutes left in the game, Vince Cole took matters into his own hands, scoring 12 of the last 14 points for the Red Storm, including a pivotal triple from way behind the top of the key to giving St. John’s a four-point, 80-76 advantage with 30 seconds remaining.

Julian Champagnie, a BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll selection on Monday, finished with another double-double performance, catapulting the Johnnies to victory with 18 points and ten rebounds.

Tonight’s win over the Broncs ends a six-game non-conference slate in which the Johnnies walked away with wins in five of those contests. With BIG EAST play beginning this week and a matchup with local rival Seton Hall lurking on Friday, Coach Anderson’s squad has much to improve. With that, here are three takeaways from the Johnnies’ victory over Rider.

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