A Knight To Remember

Call it a trap game, a rock fight, or any other hyperbole you’d like; but at the end of the night, just remember to call it a win.

In a game that mirrored the last matchup that took place at Carnesecca Arena, St. John’s (13-8, 5-5 in the Big East) wasn’t flashy or pretty on the court tonight; but they emerged the victor, unlike their meeting with Cincinnati almost two weeks ago, as Justin Brownlee’s driving layup with 3.2 seconds left in regulation was enough to outlast Rutgers (12-10, 3-7) by the final of 58-56.  The Scarlet Knights had a chance to win the game with a half-court shot, but were unable to beat the buzzer in the latest chapter of a rivalry that has come to define the nature of Big East basketball.

“We were very fortunate to win,” said Red Storm head coach Steve Lavin after the game.  “I thought Rutgers outplayed us in many facets of the game.”  Although the Johnnies were the better team for most of the first half, cold spells from the field proved to be the biggest ally for Rutgers, who managed to tie the game at 31 heading into the locker room at halftime.  St. John’s shot 37 percent from the field, (18-for-49) but casual fans will look past that statistic given the end result on a basic play executed with great precision by the breakout star of the season for the boys from Queens.

“Coach drew up a real good play with me flashing back to the basketball,” said Brownlee, who only scored nine points; but none bigger than the two that turned out to be the difference tonight.  “I didn’t feel any pressure,” said the senior of the shot, which involved him going to his left with a fractured left thumb suffered in the Storm’s 93-78 win over Duke this past Sunday when Brownlee made contact with Blue Devils guard Nolan Smith late in the second half.  Said Lavin of the play: “It’s a play that makes sense concept wise because you know teams are going to switch.”  Dwight Hardy led the Johnnies with 15 while Paris Horne continued to come up big against the Scarlet Knights, going for 12.  Jonathan Mitchell led all scorers with 21 for Rutgers, and the former Florida transfer was praised by his coach after the game.

“He’s trying to carry us and trying to become a leader,” said Rutgers coach Mike Rice. However, the coach was brutally honest and critical of his own players following the final buzzer.  “St. John’s was really good at forcing us to play at their tempo.  They made us play basketball.”  The first-year coach also held nothing back regarding his team’s offensive struggles, saying that “eventually, they’re going to have to stop getting in their own way.  This team seems to take on a personality of its own sometimes.  We’ve been at a juncture every game.”  Rutgers continues its road trip on Sunday when they travel to the Joyce Center for a matchup with eighth-ranked Notre Dame, who split both of their meetings with St. John’s last month.

The Red Storm, now winners of their last two after dropping five out of six, hit the road as well for what will be their third West Coast trip of the season.  In what has been among the most anticipated games all season, St. John’s will invade Pauley Pavilion Saturday for a matchup with UCLA in what will be Steve Lavin’s long-awaited return to Westwood, where he was an assistant and head coach for twelve years, including the Bruins’ national championship season of 1995.  Tipoff is slated for 1pm Eastern time, 10am Pacific.

Now that the smoke has cleared on Union and Utopia, the following lasting impressions will shed some light on what can be taken from these two teams as they prepare to take the next step down the stretch.

Lasting Impressions

• St. John’s was versatile in transition once again.  Three players scored in double figures and one more (Justin Brownlee) added nine points.  Had Brownlee made one more free throw, the Johnnies would have improved to 8-0 with four players scoring ten or more this season.  Nevertheless, Rutgers was flustered offensively several times, committing 23 turnovers that led to 21 St. John’s points and 14 steals.
• Although he only played eight minutes, Malik Stith was a solid reserve tonight.  Stith only scored four points, but tonight earned the honor of the unsung hero.  Stith initiated many moments that won’t show up in the box score tonight, and helped rally the team when Rutgers made runs to pull close and eventually tie the game.
• Give Rutgers a great deal of credit.  This game was eerily reminiscent of the first “Rocky” movie, where Apollo Creed (in this case, St. John’s) comes away the winner of the battle, but Rocky Balboa (Rutgers tonight) eventually gains the most credibility and wins the war.
• Expanding on that last point, Rutgers brings in a boatload of talent just like St. John’s will be doing next year as well.  Judging by tonight’s showing and the bright futures of both teams, it’s not inconceivable to see these two battle inside Madison Square Garden over the next few years for an upper-level standing in the Big East.
• With a moderate schedule down the stretch, the Scarlet Knights could be in consideration for an NIT bid with a strong Big East tournament showing.  How many people thought that possible this year?
• No player or coach in the Big East is as underrated as Jonathan Mitchell or Mike Rice.  Mitchell, who won a national championship as a backup with Florida in 2007 before transferring, continues to show his progress; and it’s a shame that he’s a senior, because he just gets better every night.  As far as Rice is concerned, no one else does a better job of getting so much out of so little.
• Rice only played nine tonight, and of his bench; Robert Lumpkins contributed most with 13 points, including three consecutive three-pointers.  The last of those trifectas tied the game at 56, setting the stage for Brownlee’s last-second heroics.
• Finally, Rutgers has underwent an extreme makeover since the last time they played the Red Storm one year ago yesterday at the RAC.  Paris Horne elaborated on the difference between the teams postgame, saying the Scarlet Knights are “playing harder as a team” and have spread it out among their roster, a change from past years where Mike Rosario (who has since transferred to Florida) was the center of attention.