NASSAU, Bahamas — The early theme of this St. John’s season has been its resilience.
It was apparent in how it handled that exhibition game at Rutgers, the shaky first half against Wagner and the second half with New Mexico when the game at the Garden got tight.
Still, there was uncertainty over how the Johnnies would deal with that crushing double-overtime loss to No. 13 Baylor at the buzzer, a game they led by five with under 10 seconds to go.
November losses don’t get worse.
St. John’s responded like it had been here before as a unit, playing arguably its most complete game of the young season.
Unlike Thursday, it followed up a strong first half with an even better second half, crushing Virginia, 80-55, in the consolation game of the Baha Mar Hoops Championship.
Rick Pitino was able to empty his bench with over five minutes remaining in this rout.
St. John’s put on a show.
Ten different players scored, led by RJ Luis’ 18 points and 12 from Kadary Richmond.
Deivon Scott narrowly missed a triple double, notching 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and Zuby Ejiofor rebounded after missing the two late free throws against Baylor with eight points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
It hammered Virginia in the paint by a 38-12 margin.
It made 10 3-pointers and shot 52.5 percent from the field.
The Johnnies were plus-eight on the glass and committed only seven turnovers – two areas that hurt them in the Baylor loss.
If St. John’s was fatigued after Thursday night’s double-overtime loss to Baylor, it didn’t look like it.
It frequently ran, turning turnovers and missed shots into transition points. It had five dunks, highlighted by a Smith alley-oop that showcased the 6-foot guard’s impressive vertical leap.
A 16-0 run, fueled by nine points from Luis, helped St. John’s build a 19-point lead.
Virginia did get hot from deep late in the half, and trailed by only 13 after Isaac McKneely completed a four-point play with 0.4 seconds left in the opening half.
Luis fouled him, his shot hit the front rim and dropped in.
It was still a strong opening 20 minutes that saw St. John’s outscore the Cavaliers in the paint, 20-4, and in transition, 11-0, while turning 11 turnovers into 14 points.
And unlike the previous night, there was no letup. Just a one-sided victory that was sorely needed.