Mike Anderson and St. John’s pulled off a huge upset Saturday night with a road victory over a ranked Arizona team.
The St. John’s Red Storm picked up a huge victory Saturday when they upset the No. 16 Arizona Wildcats by a score of 70-67 at the Chase Center in Phoenix.
St. John’s dominated the Wildcats in the first half. They outscored the Wildcats 40-26, but the second half was a much different story as Arizona pulled within one late. The Johnnies would find a way to hang on as the defense forced a missed shot with less than a second to go to close the game out.
LJ Figueroa led the way for the Johnnies. The junior dropped a team-high 21 points and grabbed four rebounds.
It was also a big-night for Cleveland State transfer Rasheem Dunn, who scored 14 points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out a pair of assistants.
Top 5 plays from win No. 1️⃣1️⃣#SJUBB | #WeAreNewYorksTeam pic.twitter.com/j3s8vITAck
— St. John's Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) December 22, 2019
Perhaps the most impressive feat of the night was St. John’s’ ability to hold projected lottery pick, Nico Mannion, in check.
The freshman and former five-star recruit was held to 19 points, finishing just 6-15 from the field and converted on only one of his five attempts from behind the arc.
St. John’s was also able to keep Arizona starting guard Dylan Smith off the scoreboard. The senior was averaging over nine points per game entering the contest.
With the victory, first-year head coach Mike Anderson now has his signature win at St. John’s.
By beating Arizona, the Johnnies picked up their second win over a power-five program. The school defeated West Virginia back on Dec. 7.
Now 11-2 on the season, the Johnnies will get ready for another big test when they’ll host No. 17 Butler on New Year’s Eve to open Big East conference play.
That feeling after a big time W! ?⛈️? pic.twitter.com/itekJmJ6Ep
— St. John's Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) December 22, 2019
