St. Johns, Rick Pitino defeats son Richard's New Mexico at MSG

It was a clash between father and son in St. John’s Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino in his second season with the Johnnies against his son Richard, who’s in his fourth season with the New Mexico Aggies. Both programs came in with a 3-0 record, with St. Johns winning their first three games over their opponents by an average margin of 23.0 points per game. Meanwhile, the Aggies have one of the fastest paces in the country.

 Could St. John's keep up?

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Both teams struggled from beyond the arc in the first half: St. John’s and the Aggies both shot just 2-of-8 (25%). Both teams also struggled with turnovers, but the Johnnies did a good job maximizing the Aggies' seven turnovers, which were unforced errors, and converted them into eight made field goals in the first half. Guard Deivon Smith, with his exceptional performance and 12 points, was a key factor in the Johnnies' 20-6 run. Turnovers weren’t the only issue for the Aggies, as they were also outrebounded by the Johnnies 24-12 in the first half.

It was a physical, rugged style of basketball characterized by intense defensive ball pressure and aggressive play in the paint. Both teams struggled to convert from long-range shooting, just 2-of-8 (25%), and the charity stripe, shooting just 50%. In the second half, the Aggies were able to cut the lead into single digits early on, forcing St. Johns into some unforced errors while shooting 6-of-10 from three.

However, despite Smith being held to just three points in the second half, it was RJ Luis Jr. who led the way for St.Johns. He flirted with a triple-double (21 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists) to go along with a block as he did it all for the Johnnies on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, Kadary Richmond, after struggling the last two games, scored a combined five points on 2-of-7 shooting in their matchups against Quinnipiac, and Wagner stepped up.

Richmond finished with 14-8-5 on 50 percent from the field. He was excellent at applying pressure on the ball, finishing with four steals that helped create some easy baskets in transition for St. Johns. He also had a crucial play around the five-minute mark in the second half, where the Aggies pressured him at the left wing before finding Aaron Scott for the easy basket in the paint to push the St. Johns lead back to double digits as the Aggies were making a run.

The points allowed in the paint by the Aggies 48-38, along with getting outrebounded 49-32, played a crucial role in their 85-71 loss. Both teams struggled from the charity stripe, but the Aggies will need to get back in the lab after shooting just 7-of-18 (39%) from the foul line in what could’ve given them a better chance down the stretch. St. Johns now improves to 4-0 as they look forward to facing no.12 ranked Baylor Thursday at 7 p.m. et in their first matchup of the season against a ranked opponent that will feature a potential top-five NBA draft pick in V.J. Edgecombe.

For now, Rick Pitino gets the last laugh against his son Richard in another great clash between father and son.