St. John's Basketball Cruises to Victory in Season-Opener vs. Monmouth

The St. John's Red Storm started off the 2026-27 campaign on a high note against Monmouth.

Nov 2, 2026; Queens, New York, USA; St. John's Red Storm forward Keyshawn Hall (7) gestures after making a three point shot in the first half against the Monmouth Hawks at Carnesecca Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. John’s Red Storm officially had their season kick off on Monday night against Monmouth University. As expected, they were able to come away with the win by a score of 78-63

As the Red Storm gets this season rolling, expectations are very high. This is arguably the most talented team that Rick Pitino has had, and they showed some of that potential on Monday in the win. 

Right from the start of the game, it was St. John’s who took control. When playing as a big favorite at home, it is always good to get off to a strong start, and that is exactly what they were able to do. 

In the first four minutes of the game, the Red Storm jumped Monmouth with a 16-4 run to start the game. One of the catalysts for the good start was the impressive play of Keyshawn Hall. 

The transfer from Auburn had a nice 7-2 run against Monmouth by himself to start the game. As a team, the Red Storm did an excellent job pressing Monmouth, which sped them up, created turnovers, and resulted in some easy baskets for St. John’s. 

Keyshawn Hall 7
Monmouth 2 #SJUBB

— Nick Ziegler (@NickZiegler20) November 2, 2026

With this being the first game of the season, Pitino used the bench a lot in the first half and also had a surprising starting lineup. Zsombor Maronka got the start over Tounde Yessoufou. 

Overall in the first half, the Red Storm were able to get nine steals, and they got a lot of extra possessions. The strong play resulted in a very comfortable 45-29 lead for St. John’s. Leading the way was none other than Keyshawn Hall, who totaled 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field. 

St. John's Cruises

Nov 2, 2026; Queens, New York, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino yells out instructions in the first half against the Monmouth Hawks at Carnesecca Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the second half, the Red Storm continued to play well and it was Ian Jackson who finally got into the mix. Foul trouble limited him in the first half, but he came out in the second half and made his mark in the scoring department early on.

The pace in this game did slowdown in the second half and St. John's didn't play nearly as well in the half court and in a slower pace.

Overall, while it might not have been a perfect night for St. John's it resulted in an easy win. The team will surely be looking to be a bit more efficent offensively, but they were really effective in getting extra possessions both on the offensive glass and with their defense.

Next up for the Red Storm will be their first regular-season game of the season at MSG, when they host Iona on Sunday.