Garden Catches Jungle Fever

New York City is referred to by many as the “concrete jungle.”  The St. John’s University student section is commonly dubbed the “Johnny jungle,” which of course provided the reason behind the name of this website.  Combine those two elements and you get a stifling atmosphere for any visiting team on any given night.  Just ask UConn coach Jim Calhoun.

In a performance that was equal parts stunning and impressive as the last game the Johnnies played at Madison Square Garden, St. John’s (14-9, 6-5 in the Big East) used 54 second-half points and a career-high 33 from Dwight Hardy to handily defeat Connecticut (18-5, 6-5) by the final of 89-72.  It was the second straight effort in which the Red Storm thoroughly dominated UConn, as they blew past the Huskies 73-51 in the opening round of last March’s Big East tournament held on the same court at the “World’s Most Famous Arena.”

“They just outplayed us for forty minutes,” said a blunt Calhoun after the game.  “They outworked us and we didn’t give them the type of resistance that we have all year.”  UConn only led twice throughout the game, with both occasions coming in the first half after three-pointers from Kemba Walker (15 points, seven assists) and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel.  St. John’s answered the first lead change with an 11-0 run, and countered the next with a 14-0 stretch that included a Malik Boothe half court buzzer-beater that sent the Johnnies to the locker room with a 35-31 lead at the intermission.

That shot was just the beginning for the Red Storm, who shot 71 percent (17-for-24) from the field in the second half and converted all of their 16 free throw attempts in the final stanza. Aside from Hardy posting a career-best point total for the second consecutive game, (he had 32 last Saturday in the losing effort at UCLA) D.J. Kennedy had his best performance of the season to this point, posting 20 points and 11 rebounds. The Pittsburgh native has credited his new coaching staff with helping him stay positive, and tonight was no different.  “When you have a staff that has confidence in you, it makes the game easier for you,” said Kennedy, who was flanked by Hardy and coach Steve Lavin in their post game press conference.

While the players offered opinions on how much this win would bolster an already impressive resume that includes home victories over Top 10 teams such as Duke and Notre Dame, their coach remained grounded while keeping his focus on the Johnnies’ next opponent, a Cincinnati team that stole a win from the Storm on January 22nd at Carnesecca Arena.  “I thought it was another sustained effort, especially in terms of our execution offensively,” stated Lavin. “I think our pressure over the course of the game had a cumulative effect in wearing UConn down.”  

Looking ahead to the Bearcats and their collision in Ohio Sunday afternoon, the coach offered this pearl of wisdom. “I think Cincinnati is going to be the biggest game of the season, then Marquette after that.  Each game is going to be amplified because the stakes are higher.”

Cincinnati is indeed next on the calendar for St. John’s; but since it’s still two days away, we’ll take the time to enjoy the moment and savor the significance of another quality win by upholding the latest tradition to hit the corner of Union and Utopia, the ever-popular lasting impressions.

Lasting Impressions

• Transition offense was the star of the show for St. John’s tonight. Not only did the Red Storm outscore UConn 40-18 in the paint, but they also won the game by putting up 27 fast break points to just a pair for the Huskies. This was one of the many factors of the game that irritated Jim Calhoun, who said that “every aspect you can possibly name” bothered him about tonight’s effort.
• A game ball definitely goes to D.J. Kennedy tonight. The senior who was projected to be the team leader at the start of the season posted his second double-double of the 2010-11 campaign with 20 points and 11 rebounds, his only other one coming on New Year’s Eve in Morgantown against West Virginia in the Red Storm’s 81-71 road win against the Mountaineers in their Big East opener.
• After months of struggling to perfect it, it appeared as though St. John’s has mastered the matchup zone based on their latest rendition tonight against UConn. Although Kemba Walker managed 15 points, the future NBA lottery pick was largely overshadowed throughout the night. In fact, forward Alex Oriakhi was the brightest light on the Connecticut bench over the first 20 minutes, while fellow frontcourt partner Roscoe Smith made a name for himself down the stretch.
• Steve Lavin said after the game that he told his players that the game would be decided by rebounding. The coach was proven right as St. John’s picked up a 43-33 victory on the glass against the Huskies, who usually have a strong interior game.
• Not only did Dwight Hardy post a new career-high for the second time in as many games, he also became the first St. John’s player with consecutive 30-point games (32 against UCLA last Saturday, 33 tonight against UConn) since Marcus Hatten did it against Seton Hall and Providence in 2003.  From a team perspective, St. John’s has now defeated both UConn and Duke in the same season for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.  That was also the last season in which the Johnnies won the Big East tournament.
• Finally, there really is no place like home.  Three years ago, St. John’s played seven games inside Madison Square Garden and finished with a record of 1-6; with the lone win coming in their first game that season at the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” a 62-59 victory against Marist on December 28, 2007 in the semifinals of the Holiday Festival.  Three seasons and a new head coach later, St. John’s has again played seven games at the Garden; (with one more coming next Saturday against Pittsburgh) but have undergone a complete reversal of fortune with a 6-1 mark, the sole blemish being a 76-59 defeat at the hands of Syracuse on January 12th.