Johnnies Roar Back to Beat Quinnipiac 96-73

 

       Trailing 39-35 at the intermission, St. John’s seemingly flipped a switch and looked like the team fans saw at Carnesecca Arena for last week’s win over Fordham. The final result, a 96-73 win for the Johnnies was not in any way indicative of how close the first 20 minutes had been

            “Give them credit they made us play bad”, Rick Pitino said. “They moved the ball well and shot the ball well. Pitino said.

    Miami of Ohio transfer (and New Jersey native) Ryan Maybury blistered St. John’s defense connecting on 5-8 triples in the opening 20 minutes while point guard Savion Lewis of Half Hollow Hills East on Long Island controlled his team’s space and pace beautifully to take full advantage of Maybry’s hot start. Pecora’s squad also seemed to frustrate the Johnnies with what looked like a match-up zone defense. Pitino cited his team’s very first offensive possession to explain their first half struggles against coach Tom Pecora’s zone defense. “Zuby pops out and takes a 3 right away”, he said. “You can shoot the three but you need to create some movement before you do.”

   St. John’s was able to change the game’s momentum quickly. R.J. Luis’ inside work helped spark a 13-4 run to wipe out the first half deficit. His inside play combined with Devian Smith’s fine passing opened things up for smooth shooting sophomore forward Brady Dunlap. Perhaps his best sequence in what was his best game came during a 16-4 that he started with 8 straight points. The stretch included a pair of 3’s and a tough two pointer where he flashed into the key and made a quick release two pointer. He finished with a career high 20 points on 6-9 shooting from the floor and 5-8 from beyond the arc. Pitino credited Dunlap’s hot shooting with breaking the game open and also cited Smith, who finished with 10 assists to go along with 13 points. Luis had a double double of his own scoring a game high 24 points and adding a career high 13 rebounds. Simeon Wilcher scored in double figures with 14 points. Kadary Richmond despite a quiet scoring game had 6 assists and 6 boards. Reserve center Vincent Iwuchukwu’s numbers were modest (6 points and 6 boards) in 15 minutes but his running the floor and presence at the rim gave the Johnnies a lift.

     Last but not least it’s worth noting that even as he praised his team’s ability to achieve a 61-point second half, he sounded an ominous warning. It was also unexpected since it referenced the Saturday game vs. New Mexico that follows Wednesday’s game vs. Wagner. With the Lobos’ win earlier this week vs. UCLA he said “If our transition defense is like that (in the 1^st half) against New Mexico they will kill us.” Even for a Hall of Fame coach family bragging rights still matter.