St. John's dismantles Iona 104-65 in season high
Freshman Tounde Yessoufou scored 23 points as the Red Storm held Iona to 65 points and committed just four turnovers in a Sunday rout.
By Julia Wang ·
St. John's basketball team defeated Iona 104-65 on Sunday at Carnesecca Arena. The margin of victory stands as the program's largest since the 2018-19 season.
Head coach Rick Pitino described the performance as brilliant, noting the team's defensive pressure and transition efficiency. The Red Storm limited Iona to 65 points while allowing only four turnovers. Pitino called that stat line special for a 100-point game.
Ian Jackson opened the scoring with three consecutive three-pointers. That sequence gave St. John's an early 9-3 lead. The Johnnies extended that advantage to 18 points and never trailed during the contest. Jackson finished with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
Tounde Yessoufou provided the offensive spark for the visitors. The Baylor transfer scored a team-high 23 points in 21 minutes. He went 9-of-14 from the field and 4-of-7 from deep. Yessoufou also secured seven rebounds.
The Red Storm controlled the ball with an aggressive full-court press. They forced 19 turnovers from the Iona Gaels. St. John's capitalized on those mistakes for 26 points. Pitino said the team worked hard on the press during the offseason because it creates easy scoring chances.
Keyshawn Hall added 13 points in his second game with the team. Quinn Ellis recorded 11 assists on five shots taken. The Red Storm shot 55.2 percent from the field and made 14 three-pointers. They outrebounded Iona 38-28 and scored 48 points in the paint.
St. John's next home game is Wednesday against Colgate.
