http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20091118/SPORTS09/911180344/1007/SPORTS/St.-John-s-holds-off-upstart-BonniesAs the clock ticked down on St. John's University Tuesday night, Malik Boothe saw the foul lane part like the Red Sea.
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I'm just thinking, 'We need a basket, so make a play,'" the 5-foot-9 junior said.
Instead, he settled for two free throws with 6.1 seconds left and they proved to be the difference as the Red Storm slipped past St. Bonaventure 69-68 in a non-conference Division I basketball game before 4,181 fans at Blue Cross Arena.
Booth swished the tying and go-ahead free throws after a foul by Chris Matthews. The Bonnies raced down the court and sophomore Michael Davenport fired a 3-point attempt from 25 feet that clanked off the back of the rim.
"I thought it was going in," St. John's coach Norm Roberts said. "I'm glad it didn't."
D.J. Kennedy led St. John's (2-0) with 18 points and Paris Horne added 15. Super sophomore Andrew Nicholson paced the Bonnies (1-1) with 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting despite missing the final 9:28 of the first half with foul trouble.
"He's a terrific player," Roberts said of the 2008-09 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, a 6-foot-9 forward who has the touch of a surgeon. "When he gets the ball he actually slows down. The key is to make sure he doesn't get it."
It was the first meeting between the teams since 1985, and the first Division I game in Rochester since West Virginia beat the Bonnies in 2005.
St. John's used full-court pressure to build an early 11-4 lead, but Nicholson scored nine of the Bonnies' first 15 points and guided the crowd favorite in front. St. John's, a rising power in the Big East, led 36-34 at the half.
Nicholson wowed the crowd twice early in the second half — first on a junior skyhook and then on a one-handed jumper from 10 feet. That tied the game at 44, but St. John's reeled off seven points.
The Bonnies stayed within striking distance and made their only 3-pointer of the night (in eight attempts) when Matthews drilled a shot from the left corner with 3:06 remaining, cutting the lead to four.
St. John's worked the clock but couldn't score, and the Bonnies took over with 1:10 left. Malcolm Eleby fed Nicholson, and his hook cut it to 67-65 with 49.3 seconds left.
St. John's again tried to drain the clock, but Eleby stole the ball and then was fouled hard by Justin Burrell with 16.4 seconds left. An intentional foul was called, and Eleby made only the first of two shots, cutting the deficit to one.
The Bonnies inbounded the ball, and St. John's reserve Dele Coker fouled Nicholson, who sank both free throws to put the Bonnies up 68-67 with 11 seconds left. St. John's took possession and Kennedy fed Boothe, who was fouled by Matthews as he tried to drive the lane.
"It came down to them making a play and us unable to keep Boothe in front of us," Bonnies coach Mark Schmidt said. "We showed we could go toe-to-toe with these guys, but not many people have second-place trophies on their mantle."
Schmidt said the pro-Bonnies crowd was "terrific," while Roberts said Blue Cross Arena felt Division I all the way.
"I was hoping it wouldn't be such a great atmosphere, but it was," he said.