Ryan Mela and the Friars were stopped by the Red Storm defense in the second half (Photos: Louriann Mardo-Zayat)
By KEVIN McNAMARA
PROVIDENCE – For the longest time in their Big East battle against Providence, St. John’s coach Rick Pitino kept telling his team not to get down on itself. Keep playing, keep fighting.
That fight helped the Red Storm shrug off a 16-point first half deficit and then rally in a decisive second half to claim a 72-70 victory at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Zuby Ejiofor delivered the knockout blow when he followed up a Deivon Smith miss and scored at the buzzer. The offensive rebound was more than apropos: The Storm swept the offensive boards a whopping 18 times and gave Pitino’s team 23 second chance points on the night.
“We talked about it the entire night. It doesn’t matter if you’re missing shots, missing free throws, just win the game,” Pitino said. “Providence played a terrific first half and we did a beautiful job in the second half.”
St. John’s improved to 10-2 on the season and 2-0 in the Big East. Ejiofor led all scorers with 19 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Smith (17 points), R.J. Luis (16) and Kadary Richmond (10) also hit double digits.
The loss was a bitter one for the Friars, who are now 7-6 overall. The Friars enjoyed a sharp, crisp first half on offense as they built a 42-29 lead on 63 percent shooting. Playing without Bryce Hopkins (knee) once again, Kim English juggled his starting lineup and reduced his deep rotation by a few pieces. The changes worked wonders as PC saw Bensley Joseph score 12 points and the team knock in six first half 3-pointers.
That offensive chemistry disintegrated in the second half. The Friars made just eight second half field goals as St. John’s followed their coach’s demand to limit the home team’s looks from the 3-point line. PC shot just 32 percent in the second half and made only one of its eight tries from downtown. A painful 17 turnovers gave St. John’s more than 20 extra possessions in the game.
“They force turnovers and they offensive rebound. That’s what they do,” said PC coach Kim English. “We weren’t tough enough to get the ball… A tough pill to swallow. Tough to watch.”
St. John’s finally caught the Friars with 7:25 to play when Ejiofor hit two free throws, the Storm turned the Friars over with the press and then Ejiofor swooped past Anton Bonke for a score and a 60-58 lead. Wesley Cardet scored at the other end to give the Friars a 61-60 lead but that would be the home team’s last field goal until the final minute. The Storm went up 68-63 with 2:05 left but the Friars kept at it. Corey Floyd made four free throws in a row to slice the deficit to 68-67 and then St. John’s missed two free throws with 1:22 left.
The Friars called a timeout but out of the huddle Joseph passed into trouble had the ball stolen by Luis. SJU’s Smith snuck into the lane and made a killer jumper with 35 seconds left. PC’s Joseph promptly answered with a clutch 3-pointer to tie the game at 70-70 with 20 seconds left.
Pitino chose not to call a timeout and gave the ball to Smith. The crafty guard got into the lane again but his jumper missed. However the Friars had switched a screen so the 6-1 Joseph was battling for the rebound with the 6-10 Ejiofor. The Storm’s big guy grabbed the rebound and put in the game-winner at the buzzer.
English said afterwards that he shortened his rotation “and went with the guys that have been practicing well and been, for the most part, doing what we ask. The most frustrating part of this season is (finding guys) that consistently do what they’re supposed to do.”
The loss of Hopkins certainly looms over this Providence team. The Friars are certainly competitive against most every team they play but getting over the top would certainly become easier with Hopkins in the mix. English said Hopkins is still sore
“He’s day-to-day right now. Some soreness and some swelling from (the DePaul game),” English said. “I didn’t want him to go with any pain.”
Asked if Hopkins is slated to return this year, English said “that’s the plan.”
