Last year at this time, Joel Soriano was being benched, and his debut season at St. John’s got off to a terrible start.
One year later, he has become an indispensable member of the team and one of the most developed athletes in recent memory.
This pattern persisted Saturday afternoon. St. John’s defeated Niagara, 78-70, despite the absence of Posh Alexander (concussion protocol) and subpar performances from Andre Curbelo and David Jones, to improve to 7-0 on the season.
Soriano has begun this season as an elite player after a summer spent getting into the best physical condition of his life. He has given the Red Storm a new dimension as a post-up danger, and on Saturday he produced 21 points and 19 rebounds against Niagara. Perhaps most significantly, Soriano has made significant strides on the glass. This season, he has already had three games with at least 14 rebounds.
Soriano helped St. John’s survive a shaky performance in which the team shot poorly from the field (39.4 percent), made only 3 of 15 3-point tries, and missed 15 free throws following Tuesday’s victory over Syracuse in the Empire Classic.
For St. John’s, Jones, Montez Mathis, Dylan Addae-Wusu, and O’Mar Stanley each scored 10 points. Niagara was led by Noah Thomasson’s 24 points.
The majority of St. John’s nine-point halftime lead was due to their transition game. The Red Storm scored 15 fast-break points as a result of 10 forced turnovers, which compensated for their poor 3-point shooting (1-for-8) and lax 3-point shooting defense, which allowed Niagara to shoot 6-for-11 from long range.
Against the little Purple Eagles, Soriano continued to perform effectively with 13 points and eight rebounds in the first twenty minutes. St. John’s did not conclude the first half well, however. It mustered only two field goals in the final 6:21, allowing Niagara to stay within striking distance. Without a genuine point guard on the court, the offense grew slow; Curbelo was on the bench due to foul trouble.
Jones left the game limping in the first minutes, causing concern for St. John’s. However, after a quick return to the locker room, he rejoined the game.
The Red Storm led by as many as 19 points in the second half and appeared to be in command until Niagara went on a 12-0 run fuelled by open 3-point attempts and closed to within five points on an Aaron Gray basket with eight minutes remaining. St. John’s answered with seven consecutive points to extend their lead to double digits, and the rest of the game was a cakewalk.
»Joel Soriano continues great start to lead St. John’s win over Niagara«