Nov 8, 2026; New York, New York, USA; St. John’s Red Storm guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. (5) drives past Iona Gaels guard Martin Kheil (95) in the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
After No.13 St. John’s beat Monmouth 78-63 last week, Rick Pitino wasn’t the happiest camper. “I thought the first 10 minutes were great.” Pitino said, “We were ready to play, and the rest of it was just mediocre.”
He sang a different tune after the Red Storm’s 104-65 win over his old team, Iona, on Sunday.
“The offense was brilliant; they were getting after it defensively, we got out on the break and were 9-12 on the break where they were only 3-5.” Pitino said. “Four turnovers in a basketball game when you score 100 points is pretty special.”
The Red Storm never trailed; Ian Jackson hit the first three shots of the game for St. John’s, all three-pointers, to jump out to a 9-3 lead which the Johnnies never looked back from. That lead climbed to as much as 18-3 and included a 15-0 run. Jackson – one of only two returners from last year’s St. John’s team had 17 points on 7-12 shooting.
Jackson started the onslaught, but Tounde Yessoufou was the star of the show. The Baylor transfer set freshman records for points and made field goals last season for the Bears and showed off that shot-making ability, going 9-14 and 4-7 from three for a team-high 23 points, with seven rebounds in only 21 minutes.
The two-time defending Big East Champions dominated the turnover battle, only giving the ball away four times compared to 19 giveaways from the Gaels. The ever-opportunistic Red Storm had 26 points off of turnovers. Oftentimes benefiting from an aggressive full-court press.
“The thing we do better this year than last year is the press.” Pitino said, “We worked on our press really, really hard because it creates scoring opportunities and gets us on the break.”
The Red Storm didn’t just dominate by taking the ball away; they had the Gaels ‘ half-court offense in a straitjacket, forcing rushed shots and allowing very few open looks.
Keyshawn Hall followed up his strong Red Storm debut with another 13 points; the Auburn transfer paced the Johnnies with 26 points against Monmouth on Monday and has looked every bit like the player who made the All-SEC Third Team.
Quinn Ellis only took five shots, but ran the floor like a seasoned vet, dishing out 11 assists.
All in all, St. John’s shot 55.2% from the field with 14 made threes; they had 48 points in the paint and outrebounded the Gaels 38-28. Their next test is on Wednesday; they will welcome Colgate to Carnesecca Arena.
For more on St. John’s, visit AMNY.com
