Storm No Match For Irish Blizzard

Normally, a 15-point loss is enough for most players and coaches to press the panic button; but for St. John’s, such a decision just means brushing it off in time for the next game.

On a night where eight ranked teams were defeated, the Red Storm (10-4, 3-1 in the Big East) looked to give 14th-ranked Notre Dame (14-2, 3-1) more to worry about than the three feet of snow that blanketed South Bend. However, the Fighting Irish had other ideas; riding a game-high 26 points from Ben Hansbrough and eight three-pointers as a team en route to a 76-61 victory over the Johnnies, improving to 11-0 this season on their home court at the Joyce Center.

The Irish also got near-double-doubles from swingmen Tim Abromaitis (12 points and nine rebounds) and Scott Martin, (12 points, eight rebounds) and took advantage of the St. John’s zone defense to outscore the Johnnies 24-6 from beyond the arc. Justin Brownlee led the Storm with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Dwayne Polee (12 points) was the only other Johnny in double figures.

Two factors contributed to the final outcome. Dwight Hardy, who had scored at least 20 points in each of his last four contests, was held to just eight. In addition, each member of the starting five was done in by early foul trouble as they had two fouls a piece, forcing Malik Boothe and Sean Evans to play the final five minutes of the first half, along with Polee, Paris Horne, and Malik Stith. St. John’s unfortunately saw the gap widen as the Red Storm went into the locker room down by 19.

The Storm came out of the locker room with newfound energy, perhaps sparked by the arrival of former Notre Dame coach and current ESPN analyst Digger Phelps, who was delayed by the weather. St. John’s cut the deficit to 13 points and was on the verge of cutting it to single digits, but had three consecutive empty possessions. (Two turnovers and an offensive foul) Notre Dame survived the short surge of the Storm and built the lead back up despite forward Tyrone Nash fouling out with nearly five minutes remaining in the game.

The Johnnies, who have been methodical and efficient on offense this season, were anything but tonight; committing 15 turnovers while shooting a season-low for a loss. (38 percent from the field) St. John’s was taking ill-advised shots early in the shot clock, but they recognized what they did immediately after the game. “We made a lot of mistakes on offense, a lot of quick shots,” said Justin Brownlee. “We just weren’t ourselves tonight.” Despite the disappointment, head coach Steve Lavin remained realistic as his team returns home to face No. 4 Syracuse on Wednesday night.

“We missed some point-blank shots early, which were deflating plays, and then took some quick, ill-advised shots and made some turnovers. Put that together and that gives Notre Dame a big lead with the way they play at home, controlling the tempo,” said Lavin. “Now, the focus is staying on the path to improvement, watch film, keep putting ‘hammer to rock,’ and prepare for another high-level Big East opponent in Syracuse.”

If there is one positive to take from all of this, it is the fact that St. John’s is continuing to improve at the free throw line; as the Storm made all but two (17-of-19) foul shots. After all, in the words of coach Lavin, the players know the season isn’t a marathon.

St. John’s gets to rest itself on the way back to New York for a few days more before hosting underwater Syracuse Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden in what will be an exciting atmosphere for both the Johnnies and Orange.

“You look back long enough so you can learn and then move forward,” Lavin said. “Stay in the present, stay in the moment and get ready for Syracuse. In this league, you can’t allow one loss to bleed into two or three.”