St. John's vs. St. Mary's, MD - Post Game Links

St. John's glass is obviously half full.

The Red Storm pulled together late to avoid what could have been an embarrassing loss to Division III St. Mary’s (Md.) in its final exhibition game on Tuesday night. But after the 77-70 win at Carnesecca Arena, the ultra-young Johnnies didn’t dwell on missing 20 free throws, giving up 13 three-pointers or trailing by six with less than 10 minutes to play.

True to coach Steve Lavin’s ever-optimistic outlook, the players saw positives. They rallied to eke out a win over a team that went to the Division III national quarterfinals last season. Their defense forced six big turnovers in the final four minutes. And they found the composure to make 13 of their final 16 free throws.

“It really helped us,” said freshman guard D’Angelo Harrison, one of six new Johnnies in the team’s seven-man rotation. “I’m not saying we were going to blow them out... We were losing by five or six near the end and it kind of pulled us together. We had tighter huddles. We talked more on defense. We came away as a team after that time.”



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/st-john-basketball-shaky-tuneup-division-iii-st-mary-maryland-article-1.970972#ixzz1cY6bU7MO

BRICK CITY: A big reason why St. John's almost lost this game? Free throw shooting. The Red Storm were 22-for-42 from the charity stripe, including missing 17 of their first 24 attempts.

Shooting 1-for-12 from behind the 3-point line did not help, either. St. Mary's, on the other hand, buried 13 triples.

BRIGHT SIDE? This very young St. John's team got its first taste of playing in a tight game down the stretch. (Granted, it came against a Division III squad -- nevertheless, I can guarantee you there was a ton of tension running through those St. John's players' bodies, on the verge of an embarrassing defeat.)

WHAT'S NEXT: St. John's will open up the 2011-2012 regular season on Monday, when the Red Storm host William & Mary in the opening round of the 2K Sports Classic at Carnesecca Arena.

Lavin's status for that game is undetermined at this time.

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/colleges/post/_/id/2762/rapid-reaction-st-johns-77-st-marys-70

Highlights

New York Preseason Hoops - ESPN Video - ESPN

St. John’s eventually found a way to grind out a 77-70 victory over Division III St. Mary’s in their second and final exhibition game.
But regardless of the final outcome, it’s just another learning experience for a team with six newcomers all playing as part of a seven-man rotation before the regular-season schedule begins next week.
“We’re just trying to get better each and every day and each and every game,” assistant coach Rico Hines said, with head coach Steve Lavin continuing to recover from prostate cancer surgery on Oct. 6.
“These guys are really young ... I told them [in the locker room], every time it’s going to be a new time out for them.

“Coach told me to keep shooting the ball,” said Harrison, who finished with 12 points on 4-for-14 shooting from the field to go along with five rebounds.
“Obviously I need more work, so I’m going to be in the gym 24/7 this week, trying to get ready for Monday.”


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/johnnies_in_growth_spurt_CJ3lTY14xgu98AsWwuYR6O#ixzz1cY84daot