Although much of the
hype in the St. John’s Twittersphere about Saturday’s match-up surrounded Mike
Anderson’s Garden debut, it was a guy making a return engagement who became the
star.
In March of 2016 Rasheem Dunn had made his own triumphant visit to MSG, where he teamed with former Johnnie
Shamorie Ponds to cap a PSAL title run for Thomas Jefferson High. Fast-forward 3
years and a circuitous basketball journey that took him to Remsen Street in
Brooklyn (St. Francis College) to Cleveland State and a protracted transfer
battle with the NCAA, and there he was again on the court at MSG; wearing a
different jersey, surrounded by new teammates, but still making plays and at
the end of the Johnnies 70-68 win over former Big East foe West Virginia making
winning plays.
West Virginia had
rallied from a 9-point deficit with jus under 4-1/2 minutes left and tied the
game at 68 on a 3-pointer by Sean McNeil. On St. John’s next possession Nick Rutherford
was blocked on a drive during St. John’s next possession and West Virginia
missed a chance to win the game. And that’s where Dunn went to work. First, he
stripped Derek Culver of an offensive rebound and gave St. John’s their own
chance for a final shot. Out of a time out he then took the inbounds pass,
drove around two screens from a “horns” set (double high post) got a shot away
through contact and drew a foul. Looking every bit like a guy who had been
there before he drained two free throws to provide the margin of victory. Then,
after Dunn had handled much of the game’s closing moments perfectly, it was up to
the 5 on the floor to put the finish touch on a win with a perfect defensive possession.
They forced Miles McBride up the left side and did a perfect job of contesting
a difficult three point shot as time expired; getting a hand up without fouling.
Dunn’s late game
heroics and his ability to get to the rim all game long were thorns in the side
of Bob Huggins and his team from start to finish but there were many heroes who
played key roles for St. John’s LJ Figueroa scored all 17 of his points in the
first 20 minutes; several them coming thanks simply to his shot making ability
when St. John’s appeared stifled and stagnant on offense. Dunn and fellow point
guard Nick Rutherford combined for 24 points 7 of the Johnnies 15 steals and
made 10 of 11 free throw tries, helping their team to a 22-5 advantage from the
line. As a team the Johnnies shot 22-27 from the line while West Virginia shot
5-12.
As they have all
season long the bench provided energy and toughness. Marcellus Earlington’s numbers
may have been modest (4 points and 5 boards) but he helped St. John’s compete
against a WVU team that had significant height and strength advantages inside
and helped them survive early foul trouble from Josh Roberts, who came on strong
in the second half finishing with a team high 9 rebounds. Last but certainly
not least, sophomore guard Greg Williams junior gave St. John’s 17 terrific
minutes of defensive energy, fearless basket attacking and a shot-clock beating
three-pointer that was even more impressive because he had the awareness to
make the play even though he had spent much of the game on the bench. Indeed, coach Anderson has patiently found minutes
for Williams as he rounds into game shape following a pre-season back injury
and this game could prove to be the start of a big payoff for that patience. In
a game that, as the coach suggested “came down to toughness…” he was able to find
it not just from one or two guys but from his entire team. With great help from
them and a great return engagement from Dunn, coach Anderson’s Garden debut was
a smash.
Notes And Observations: Perhaps the most impressive
aspect of this win for St. John’s was that they found a way to get it despite
being outshot from the floor overall and from beyond the arc. They forced 22
turnovers while committing 14 and had three players in double figures. Figueroa
led the way with 17 while Dunn added 13 and Nick Rutherford added 11. With the
win St. John’s moves to 8-2 on the season while West Virginia suffered their
first loss and moved to 7-1. Talented 6’10” sophomore Derek Culver had 12
points and a game high 18 rebounds for the Mountaineers.
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