Nov 2, 2026 · pixiplume.com
New faces, same result: St. John’s rolls in the opener
No. 13 St. John’s opened the season Monday night at Carnesecca Arena with a mostly new roster and a familiar result. The Red Storm beat Monmouth 78-63, and the game was basically decided in the first four minutes.
Auburn transfer Keyshawn Hall made his first six shots and finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds in his debut.
Pitino’s press sets the tone
St. John’s jumped out to a 16-4 lead in the first four minutes, with Hall scoring nine of the team’s first 11 points. Rick Pitino’s full-court pressure did the rest. The Red Storm had nine steals by halftime and led 45-29 at the break.
The second half was quieter. The pace slowed, and the offense looked less sharp in the half court. But Ian Jackson came alive after early foul trouble, scoring 13 of his 15 points after halftime, including two threes in under a minute to push the lead to 67-48.
The numbers tell the story: St. John’s forced 18 turnovers, finished with 14 steals, and scored 21 points off those turnovers.
Top performers
The newcomers delivered. Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou scored 12 in his debut, and Quinn Ellis, who played in Italy last season, filled the stat sheet with 8 points, 7 assists and 5 steals in his first college game.
| Player | Team | Pts | Reb | Ast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keyshawn Hall | SJU | 26 | 10 | 2 |
| Jakai Sanders | MONM | 17 | 5 | 2 |
| Ian Jackson | SJU | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| Madison Durr | MONM | 15 | 1 | 2 |
| Tounde Yessoufou | SJU | 12 | 5 | 2 |
| Quinn Ellis | SJU | 8 | 5 | 7 |
What’s next: Iona at the Garden
St. John’s moves to Madison Square Garden for its next game, against Iona on Sunday, November 8 at noon. It will be the Red Storm’s first regular-season game at MSG this year.
The defense already looks like a Pitino team. The bigger question is the half-court offense, which went quiet in the second half. Expect him to work on that this week.
Your call
A new roster and an easy opening win. So tell me in the comments: is this St. John’s team built for a deep March run, or is it too early to tell?