Dylan Darling breaks through to lead St. John’s in Big East opener over DePaul

So much for Dylan Darling getting buried on the bench. 

The former starting point guard looked much more like the guy who was the Big Sky Player of the Year than the one who lost his job to Ian Jackson. 

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Darling enjoyed his best game as a Johnnie in the Big East opener for No. 22 St. John’s, exploding for 17 points and three 3-pointers in a 79-66 victory at Carnesecca Arena in Queens on Tuesday night. 

Darling entered the contest 1-of-15 from downtown, and made his first two triples. He only gained confidence from there and played most of the second half.

He led a choppy victory that saw St. John’s build an early 18-point lead, have it cut to seven, then cruise most of the way down the stretch. 

Joson Sanon added 15 points and nine rebounds, Jackson tallied 10 and Zuby Ejiofor chipped in nine points, seven rebounds, four blocks and three assists.

St. John’s (7-3) has won three in a row since a 1-2 trip to Las Vegas, and started its defense of its Big East crown on a positive note. 

Kaleb Banks led DePaul with 19 points. 

The first half was the opposite of the win over Iona University — fast start and poor close. Fueled by a second-unit-ignited 18-3 run, St. John’s held an 18-point lead. Over the final five minutes, however, the Johnnies were outscored 9-2 and committed four of their five turnovers. 

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It was still a strong opening 20 minutes. St. John’s held DePaul to 36 percent shooting, forced eight turnovers and was plus-one on the glass.

Coach Rick Pitino’s team had balanced scoring — four players notched at least six points led by Sanon’s eight.

Darling sank his first two 3-point attempts after entering the game having made just one in 15 attempts, and St. John’s was 5-for-10 overall from distance. 

The second half started like the first half ended. DePaul quickly got within seven. Ejiofor was assessed a technical foul for arguing a no-call. Pitino went to his bench, which provided a spark. Darling scored on a drive and a 3-pointer. Ruben Prey went coast-to-coast for a layup.

The lead was back to 15, and the result was no longer in doubt.