New York, NY — In a thrilling coaching showdown, Rick Pitino emerged victorious against his son Richard Pitino as No. 22 St. John’s secured an 85-71 win over New Mexico on Sunday. RJ Luis Jr. led the way for the Red Storm with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Deivon Smith contributed 15 points.
All five St. John’s starters reached double figures, allowing their Hall of Fame coach to celebrate a win at Madison Square Garden. This defeat marked Richard Pitino’s third loss to his father, who previously coached at Louisville.
Richard Pitino had claimed victory over Rick Pitino’s Iona team two years ago at The Pit.
As St. John’s maintained control in the final minutes, students in the stands chanted, “Who’s your daddy?” Kadary Richmond added a solid performance with 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Aaron Scott also scored 14 points, while Zuby Ejiofor recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Luis also notched a career-high seven assists.
For New Mexico (3-1), Mustapha Amzil and Nelly Junior Joseph each scored 16 points.
Takeaways Of The Game:
New Mexico: The Lobos fell to 1-1 against ranked opponents, having previously defeated then-No. 22 UCLA 72-64 in Nevada on November 8. They struggled against St. John’s size on both ends of the court.
St. John’s: After winning their first three games by over 20 points each at Carnesecca Arena, the Red Storm showed their strength against tougher competition in the first of eight home games at The Garden this season.
After New Mexico cut a 16-point deficit to just four, Smith’s blocked jumper led to Scott’s three-pointer with 7:34 remaining. This sparked a 9-2 run for St. John’s, and the Lobos never got closer than five points afterward. The Red Storm dominated the boards, outrebounding New Mexico 49-32.
Up Next:
New Mexico: The Lobos will host Grambling State on Thursday night.
St. John’s: The Red Storm will travel to the Bahamas to face No. 12 Baylor on Thursday and will either play No. 11 Tennessee or Virginia the following day in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship.
