St. John’s Outlasts DePaul On Road, 87-81

It was a game of runs on the road; and at the end, the team that made the last big run was able to use it to their advantage.

After allowing the game to be tied at 64 late in the second half, St. John’s (10-12, 4-6) went on a 9-2 spurt to take the lead for good and hold off DePaul (11-10, 2-7) by the final of 87-81 at the Allstate Arena in Chicago behind a career-high 29 points from D’Angelo Harrison. “We allowed him to get going,” said DePaul coach Oliver Purnell. “Once he got going, then he got aggressive.”

Harrison’s defining moment of the season came in the midst of a 7-of-11 performance from three-point range, and the Texan scored 21 of his 29 in the second half. In addition, the Red Storm got a bounce-back game from God’sgift Achiuwa to complement Harrison; as the Nigerian import finished with 15 points, not to mention a perfect 7-for-7 outing from the field.

St. John’s needs to regroup fast, as waiting for them on Saturday afternoon will be Jim Boeheim and the second-ranked Syracuse Orange. The Orange will be entering their home away from home at Madison Square Garden with a returning Fab Melo, who is back in the lineup after an academic issue forced him out of the last three games for the Orange. Until then, however, here are some lasting impressions from a much-needed road win.

Lasting Impressions
– The game turned late in the first half when St. John’s reverted to their press defense after allowing DePaul to take a 31-19 lead. The Red Storm responded by ending the opening stanza on an 11-0 run to go to the intermission trailing by just one point. Upon emerging from the locker room, the Red Storm played as though they were a step behind at times, but quickly recovered on a pair of D’Angelo Harrison threes. Harrison’s marksman efforts en route to a career-high 29 points earns him last night’s game ball. In his homecoming, Chicago native Phil Greene tied his career high with 14 points to continue a solid string of games that started against West Virginia, where he committed just one turnover while recording eight assists.

– The St. John’s transition game was what ultimately won the game for the Red Storm last night, as DePaul’s 18 turnovers led to 25 points for the road team. “With three or four minutes to play, I felt like we had some semblance of control,” said Purnell after the game. “Then, inexplicably, we didn’t handle pressure very well.”

– St. John’s picked up contributions from a multitude of options last night, which helped even more considering Moe Harkless was limited to nine points while battling leg cramps. Besides Achiuwa’s 15 and Greene’s 14, Amir Garrett tied his career high with 12 points and Sir’Dominic Pointer added eight of his own.

– Finally, St. John’s used offensive disparity in the second half to distance themselves from an up-and-coming DePaul team. When trailing 31-30 at halftime, the Red Storm had shot just 28 percent from the field. However; when the teams returned to the court for the final stanza, St. John’s rode a 22-for-30 (73 percent) clip from the field to the lead, and ultimately, the win.