Johnnies Valiant, But Vanquished

When it was revealed that Steve Lavin’s opening act as St. John’s head coach would come on the road against St. Mary’s, the prevailing feeling among the Red Storm basketball community was that the game would be a solid assessment of what the team hopes to become.  Lavin himself said several times before and after the game that it was a good opportunity to get a report card on the team.  This morning’s 76-71 loss to the Gaels features a little bit of everything we have seen from the Johnnies in years past, as well as some new elements to the style emanating from Union and Utopia.

One of those new elements is freshman Dwayne Polee, who paced St. John’s with 16 points in his official college debut.  In my previous post, I noted Polee’s quiet confidence and found it similar to the first St. John’s basketball game I did play-by-play for back in 2007.  Twenty-four hours later, after watching Polee’s first impression, I again make a connection to my initial broadcast; in that most who listened found me to be quite impressive, (I, on the other hand, was, and still am, humble when complimented) and Polee was just as solid on the hardwood in his California homecoming.  Not to be outdone were the “M&M Boys,” as Malik Boothe and Malik Stith chipped in with career-highs of 15 and 13 respectively; with Stith in particular shining late in the second half.

Lavin’s 2-3 zone still needs some work, as evidenced by the second half success of St. Mary’s from behind the arc. Junior Clint Steindl led the Gaels and all scorers with 22 points, with all but one coming from beyond the arc. Matthew Dellavedova came within an assist of a double-double, posting nine dishes to go with 15 points. What we did notice from the Johnnies was their new uptempo style as they transformed a 44-40 game with under eight minutes remaining into the 76-71 final it ultimately became, as well as the pleasant surprise that was their 85% clip at the free throw line.

However, the most glaring characteristic of this morning’s opener was the feeling of deja vu as the Johnnies failed yet again to hold a halftime lead. Heading into the intermission up 31-28, the Johnnies went cold to start the final stanza. The inability to score allowed St. Mary’s to go on a 14-0 run, the third time in as many years that the Johnnies were victimized by a double-digit swing in points.

The Johnnies return home later tonight to prepare for their home opener tomorrow night at Carnesecca Arena against Columbia. Tipoff is slated for 8pm with free online streaming provided by WSJU Radio, with Johnny Jungle’s own Tim Dimas and Dan Martin on the call.

Box Score

AWAY- St. John’s

[table id=133 /]

HOME- St. Mary’s

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[table id=135 /]E