Andre Curbelo worked through a game that saw
him shoot 4-14 from the floor and commit 6 turnovers. Fortunately for him, and
for St. John’s, he saved his best work for when it mattered most.
The former LuHi star and Illinois transfer
converted two tough right-handed drives while moving down the left side to give
St. John’s the lead for good in what would ultimately be a 78-72 win over
Temple in the first round of the Empire Classic at Barclay’s Center last
night. The first of those drives came
after the Owls’ Zach Hicks connected on a trey to give his team a 72-70 lead. Curbelo
was fouled as he banked in the layup and made the free throw to give St. John’s
a 1-point margin. On Temple’s next possession, his partner in the backcourt
Posh Alexander forced Damian Dunn, the Owls leading scorer, to dribble the ball
off his foot. Curbelo then made a similar right-handed drive down the left side,
a little closer this time perhaps, but with the same result save for the foul,
gently banked in off the glass.
Prior to Curbelo’s heroics, Hicks’ basket
that had briefly given Temple the lead came following a turnover where St. John’s
tried to force an inbounds pass along the sideline to Alexander. It’s worth
noting because the ups and downs of the game’s final sequence were indicative
of the entire game for St. John’s
The Johnnies began the game shooting
terribly (4-25 at one point and 0-8 from 3-point distance in the first half)
and Temple took advantage with the help of one of the Big 5’s best shooters Khalif
Pratt who scored 13 of his 17 points in the opening 20 minutes. The Owls lead
by as many as 13 in the first half but St. John’s countered using terrific
pressure defense and inside scoring. A 20-5
half closing run gave them a 32-30 margin at the break.
Temple started quickly in the second half
with a 10-3 run before St. John’s responded with a run that included 6 points
from David Jones as well as key baskets from Alexander and O’mar Stanley, who
was a perfect 4-4 from the floor and provided great energy and toughness on defense.
The game see-sawed back and forth with both
teams making clutch plays until the stage was set for Curbelo’s clutch baskets.
Montez Mathis who, as his coach Mike Anderson suggested “looked like a mature
senior” lead the Johnnies with 18 points. Joel Soriano finished with 15 points
and 12 boards all while engaging in a terrific battle down low with Temple’s Jamille
Reynolds who finished with a game high 21 points. Reynolds’ individual point
total may have been higher but that should take nothing away from Soriano’s
effort. In a fast-paced game and despite foul problems, he provided a tough and
strong presence in the lane. With the Johnnies’ win and Syracuse’s 74-71 overtime
win over Richmond the stage is set for a clash between two old Big East rivals.
It’s perhaps fitting that they will be
playing for a championship in Brooklyn, where two of their greatest players,
Chris Mullin for St. John’s and Pearl Washington for Syracuse, honed legendary
games.
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