Bryce Hopkins finished with 20 points as 14th-ranked St. John’s overcame a shaky start to pull away late in the first half on the way to a 97-49 victory over Bucknell on Thursday night in Queens, N.Y.
Hopkins scored 13 points in the first half, including nine in the final 11-plus minutes when the Red Storm (3-1) surged ahead for their third double-digit win before heading to Las Vegas to face No. 16 Iowa State on Monday in the Players Era Championship.
Hopkins reached the 20-point mark for the first time since getting 26 for Providence on Dec. 16, 2023, against Sacred Heart. The veteran forward hit 7 of 9 shots, including the basket that gave the Red Storm the lead for good with 8:21 left in the first half. Hopkins finished with three 3-pointers, three steals, three rebounds and three assists in 17 minutes.
Reserve Ian Jackson also scored a season-high 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting, Ruben Prey finished with 14 and Joson Sanon contributed 10 for St. John’s, which missed 11 of its first 14 attempts yet shot 50.6% overall.
Dillon Mitchell recorded a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds as St. John’s used its depth to overcome a quiet night from Zuby Ejiofor, who was held to five points and four rebounds.
The Red Storm scored 32 fast-break points, collected 15 steals and finished with a commanding 48-26 rebounding margin.
Amon Dorries scored 12 points for Bucknell, which was unable to earn its first win over a ranked team since beating Syracuse on Nov. 22, 2005. The Bison (2-4) shot 29.4% after shooting 27.7% from the floor on Monday at Pittsburgh. They also committed 24 turnovers while absorbing their fourth straight loss.
St John’s started so slowly that coach Rick Pitino subbed out his starters a little over three minutes in as Bucknell broke to an 8-2 lead. The Red Storm took their first lead when Ejiofor’s dunk made it 16-15 with 10:46 left.
St. John’s took its first double-digit lead when Prey’s 3-pointer from the corner opened a 31-20 lead with 4:04 to go. Prey’s triple was part of a 28-10 outburst over the final 11:32 that put the Red Storm ahead 41-25 by halftime.
The Red Storm scored seven straight points for a 50-28 lead less than two minutes into the half. Hopkins reached 20 points when he hit an open 3-pointer from the left side for a 63-34 margin with 11:47 remaining. He subbed out for good less than a minute later.
