Hammered At The Rock

For well over a month, St. John’s had managed to avoid the taste of defeat in the Big East. A trip across the river changed all that in the latest chapter of an emotionally charged rivalry between the Big Apple darlings and their counterparts from the Garden State.

In a contest that served as the definition of a “trap game,” the No. 15 Johnnies (19-10, 11-6 in the Big East) were done in by a three-point barrage and a late second-half run on their way to an 84-70 defeat at the hands of Seton Hall, (12-17, 6-11) who held serve at the Prudential Center to ensure that the Red Storm’s 13-year losing streak in the Garden State would not be snapped.

“The big picture was that Seton Hall took us to the woodshed and waxed us for forty minutes,” said St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin. “That’s as remarkable a shooting performance from any team I’ve faced in my career.” Lavin was ejected with just under two minutes remaining in regulation after arguing a foul called against the Johnnies, saying after the game that he was “probably too animated” in his engagement with the officials. Dwight Hardy led the Red Storm with 23 points, the 13th time this season where the Big East Player of the Year candidate has eclipsed the 20-point plateau, while Jeremy Hazell was one of four Pirates in double figures. Hazell’s 31, coupled with Seton Hall’s 12-of-18 (67 percent) performance from beyond the arc was all the Jersey boys would need after learning last night that they would face Rutgers in the opening round of the Big East tournament. The Pirates host Marquette Saturday night, while St. John’s welcomes South Florida to Carnesecca Arena that same evening on senior night in Queens.

There may not be much to take from this game, but our lasting impressions will attempt to make sense of it all:

Lasting Impressions

– Bombs away. Seton Hall, which was the least efficient three-point shooting team in the Big East entering this contest, shot a staggering 12-for-18 (67 percent) from beyond the arc. Jeremy Hazell (4-of-6) and freshman Fuquan Edwin (5-of-6) accounted for nine of the trifectas, while St. John’s drained a mere three triples collectively.
– Speaking of Hazell, history repeated itself in Newark. The last time St. John’s took the court at the Prudential Center, Hazell scored 31 points in a double-digit Seton Hall win. (91-81) Tonight? Hazell tallied 31 in a double-digit Seton Hall win.
– St. John’s lost any remaining hopes of securing a double bye in the Big East tournament with this loss, unless Syracuse somehow loses to DePaul Saturday. Realistically, the Red Storm will likely be the No. 5 seed, and cannot finish lower than sixth in the conference.
– Finally, although Dwight Hardy only accounted for 23 of the 70 points put up by St. John’s, his supporting cast was virtually nonexistent. The Johnnies are among the most impressive teams in the country with a balanced attack; (9-0 with four or more players in double figures) but aside from D.J. Kennedy (11 points) and Justin Brownlee, (12 points and seven rebounds despite four fouls) Hardy was essentially carrying the team on his back.