**St. John’s triumphs over Butler as Posh Alexander returns home**
By Zach Braziller
Published Jan. 2, 2024
Updated Jan. 3, 2024, 12:33 a.m. ET
Posh Alexander returned home Tuesday night and saw how much things have changed.
New St. John’s players, new coach and a team that hardly resembled his former one.
Alexander, St. John’s three-year starting point guard who transferred to Butler following the coaching change from Mike Anderson to Rick Pitino, received a warm greeting from the Red Storm fans.
The Johnnies players weren’t as kind.
They shut down the Brooklyn native after halftime and overwhelmed Butler as St. John’s continued to show progress under Pitino.
Daniss Jenkins, not Alexander, was the best point guard on the floor, leading the Johnnies to a commanding 86-70 victory inside Carnesecca Arena.
“I was glad they gave him an ovation. He did a lot for this program, put in a lot of hard work. But I just wanted to get the win. That’s all that mattered to me, coming out with a big win,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins is coming on of late, cutting down on his turnovers and improving his efficiency. Against Butler, he had 17 points, seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and just one turnover in 34 minutes. Over the last six games, he has 40 assists and eight turnovers, a five-to-one ratio.
“It’s not a coincidence that St. John’s has begun to turn it on during that span, playing more like the team many expected to see,” said Pitino.
This, however, was not a one-man show. St. John’s (10-4, 2-1) held Butler to 32.3 percent shooting in the second half and had six players score in double figures.
Joel Soriano (12 rebounds) and RJ Luis each had 14 points and freshman sharpshooter Brady Dunlap scored a career-high 13 after failing to log a single minute in the previous four games. Chris Ledlum notched a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, helping St. John’s win the battle on the glass by 11, outscore Butler by 16 in second-chance points and hammer them in the paint, 40-26.
Alexander scored all 11 of his points in the first half and shot 5-for-12 from the field along with three turnovers. Butler’s leading scorers, Pierre Brooks and Jahmyl Telfort, were held to a combined 20 points on 5 of 20 shooting.
It was an entertaining first 20 minutes that the Johnnies mostly controlled. They led by as many as eight and never trailed. The big surprise was Dunlap, who entered the game with 18 points on the season and scored 10 in the first half, giving the Johnnies a needed boost.
“When I’m out there and I hit a couple of shots, it’s just a dream come true for me, and I’m just thankful that Coach Pitino gave me the opportunity today,” said Dunlap.