Fumble in the Bronx

Four days removed from a demoralizing home loss against St. Bonaventure, St. John’s got an opportunity to regroup against another Atlantic 10 school, one just a stone’s throw away from the Queens campus in Fordham University. For about 25 minutes, it looked like the Johnnies had put the deflation at Carnesecca Arena behind them. That is, until the demons of Red Storm past trekked over the Whitestone Bridge and made their way into Rose Hill Gym.

After leading by as many as 21 points early in the final stanza, St. John’s (5-3) was done in by an 0-for-11 second-half effort from three-point range and missed layups inside as Fordham (5-4) used not one, but two 16-0 runs over a ten-minute span in the final period to upset the Red Storm 84-81 for the school’s first win against their Queens neighbors in over a decade.

“To have a night like this is special for the university,” said Fordham coach Tom Pecora, who was among the names initially considered for the St. John’s job that ultimately went to Steve Lavin. “You can see how tough a place this is to play,” remarked the coach of the Rams’ home venue, which sold out weeks before the game. Fordham was led by senior guard Brenton Butler, who valiantly scored 22 points despite nine turnovers and four first-half fouls, and sophomore Chris Gaston, who posted yet another double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. The mood in the opposing locker room was a stark contrast from the jubilation exhibited by the victors.

“I thought the big storyline in the second half was Fordham’s aggressiveness,” said Lavin of the Rams’ 51-point effort in the final stanza. “Down the stretch, I felt we became too perimeter-oriented,” said Lavin, who felt his players may have been overzealous in their attempts to defeat Fordham’s zone defense. Despite yet another heartbreaking loss, the Johnnies had another positive night from Dwight Hardy, who led all scorers with 30 points (19 in the first half) in his Bronx homecoming after starring at John F. Kennedy High School prior to joining the Johnnies as a junior college transfer. “You could see some breakthroughs,” was what Lavin had to say about the recent productivity from his shooting guard. D.J. Kennedy chipped in with 16, and it seemed that the senior leader was trying to win the game singlehandedly in the final minutes. “He did some really good things,” said Lavin of the player he calls the hub of the wheel. “Then, in a couple of critical possessions, he launched some shots that were ill-advised.” Paris Horne added 14, and also added his name to the history books by becoming the Johnnies’ 46th member of the 1,000 point club.

Fordham shot 52% (12-for-23) from beyond the arc for the night, with each triple being drained by the trio of Butler, (five 3-pointers) Alberto Estwick, (four) and freshman Branden Frazier. (three)  The Rams also became the third team in the last four seasons to defeat St. John’s with the aid of a 16-0 run in the second half, joining DePaul (2007-08) and West Virginia (2009-10) in that category. The Johnnies had led 60-39 with 15:35 remaining in regulation before Fordham capped off their comeback.

St. John’s takes a hiatus from its schedule for finals week before once again hosting the Holiday Festival on Monday night against Davidson, with either the consolation or championship game the following night against St. Francis or Northwestern.