Tounde Yessoufou scored 23 points, including four 3-pointers, as No. 13 St. John’s dominated Iona 104-65 in their season opener at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The Red Storm’s pressure defense forced 19 turnovers and helped them build a 39-point lead before Yessoufou exited the game early in the second half.
Yessoufou, making his first start for St. John’s after transferring from Baylor, also grabbed seven rebounds, made three steals and blocked two shots. His mix of crafty moves to the basket and perimeter shooting set the tone for St. John’s (2-0), who shot 55.2% from the field and connected on 13 of 28 attempts from beyond the arc.
Ian Jackson added 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, hitting three 3-pointers in the opening minutes and scoring the Red Storm’s first nine points. Keyshawn Hall contributed 13 points, while Quinn Ellis dished out 11 assists and scored seven. Lefteris Zsombo Maronka and Lefteris Liotoupoulos also reached double figures with 12 and 10 points respectively.
St. John’s pressured Iona into 19 turnovers and finished with nine steals, forcing the Gaels into an early hole. The Red Storm took a 15-point lead on a drive by Ellis just under six minutes into the game. They extended that to 20 points after a putback by Ruben Prey with 5:35 left in the first half, then closed the half on a 21-4 run to lead 54-23.
Yessoufou hit two 3-pointers early in the second half before leaving the game after his final basket gave St. John’s a 39-point advantage. The Red Storm maintained their grip on the game, pushing the final margin to 39 points.
Iona’s top scorer was Ore Odutayo with 12 points. Former St. John’s captain Sadiku Ibine Ayo added 11 points and received a brief video tribute before the game. This matchup was the second meeting between the teams since Rick Pitino left Iona in March 2023 to take over at St. John’s. Pitino compiled a 64-22 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances in three seasons at Iona before returning to the Big East.
St. John’s is scheduled to host Colgate at Carnesecca Arena in Queens on Wednesday. Iona will visit Fordham on Tuesday.
According to Yahoo Sports.
