In another contest against a ranked opponent, St. John’s fell to Providence, 86-82.
From the get go, it was a physical contest. Julian Champagnie had to leave after 4 minutes to get some stiches over his right eyebrow. Anyone receiving a pass got a hard shove for good measure. Stylistically, the game favored Providence.
To make matters worse for St. John’s, the Friar zone defense gave the Johnnies fits. The Red Storm have struggled to shoot the ball from deep converting less that 29% of them over the past four games. Providence, as a result, pulled out a 2-3 zone for long stretches in the first half largely allowing St.