College Basketball

Balanced attack lifts St. John’s to rout of San Francisco

There was no slow start. There was no letdown. And there were another 40 minutes of evidence that maybe things have changed. Maybe St. John’s really has turned the corner.

Following a near-upset of No. 2 Syracuse on Sunday, the Red Storm opened Wednesday night’s game against San Francisco with the urgency they usually reserve for top teams or tough moments, and finished by slapping the Dons around, 81-57, at Carnesecca Arena.

St. John’s (7-3) spent the first month of the season letting inferior opponents hang around so often that potential upsets held much more potential than they ever should, but the lessons of Monmouth, Wagner, Bucknell and Longwood look as if they have been learned. Focus isn’t frivolous and talent isn’t everything.

“The older guys have been saying we gotta play each game hard, play each game like it’s Syracuse, play each game like it’s conference play,” guard D’Angelo Harrison said. “We got it, we bought in and we’re all locked in.”

Behind a balanced offensive effort, led by Harrison’s 18 points, St. John’s had its third straight impressive outing, displaying beautiful ball movement and great energy. Even the Red Storm’s early-season infatuation with 3-pointers appears to have finally faded and they played to their strength — attacking the rim with aggression.

Harrison, who hit 2-of-3 3-point attempts, tied Willie Shaw for the school’s all-time record for 3-pointers made (151), and sophomore forward JaKarr Sampson led the primarily small first-unit with another efficient game, scoring 14 points on 7-of-11 shots. Sampson is shooting 68.6 percent from the field over the past four games.

Avenging last season’s 16-point loss at San Francisco (6-5), the Red Storm went into halftime up 43-31 and led by as many as 28 in the second half. St. John’s controlled the glass early, outrebounding the Dons 22-8 in the first half, while the defense forced a season-high 21 turnovers, which it converted into 27 points.

“I think our pressure on the ball was better than it’s been at any point this year,” coach Steve Lavin said. “We did, in a methodical, deliberate way, dismantle USF and that speaks to a certain level of concentration and sustaining a level of play.”

Four Red Storm players scored in double figures, with Rysheed Jordan playing his third straight solid game, putting up 10 points, four assists and a steal.

The freshman guard played under control and in command, showing an ever-growing confidence at the point. After forcing his shot in the first few games, Jordan has found balance as a playmaker, looking to pass, but able to penetrate without the hesitation that plagued him early in the season.

He hasn’t matched his enormous hype yet, but he’s getting closer.

“He doesn’t think the game [anymore],” said Harrison, Jordan’s roommate and backcourt mate. “He just attacks. He’s more of an attacker and that’s what he does. He showed it tonight, against Syracuse and Fordham. He’s gonna get better. He’s better than what he’s showing right now. The sky’s the limit for this kid.”

Lavin has said many times Jordan will be “central to everything.” The point has never been debated, but it never has been more apparent what that could actually mean.