Thursday night’s matchup between St. John’s and Kentucky had all the makings of an NCAA Tournament-caliber game when it was first revealed in May. Three ineligible players and a star-studded opposing lineup later, six and a half months can make a world of difference.
After holding their own through most of the first half against the top-ranked Wildcats, the Red Storm (4-4) were simply outplayed down the stretch by Kentucky (7-0) on the way to an 81-59 victory for Big Blue Nation on their home court of Rupp Arena. While God’sgift Achiuwa (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Moe Harkless (16 points, 10 rebounds) posted the first official double-doubles of their young careers, the night belonged to Kentucky. Terrence Jones led all scorers with 26 points; while projected No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Anthony Davis finished just two blocked shots short of a triple-double, tallying eight rejections to go his 15 points and 15 rebounds.
“He changed everything about the game,” said Kentucky coach John Calipari about his freshman forward from Chicago. “He blocked shots, he scored baskets, he rebounded tough, he came up with balls.”
Kentucky welcomes No. 5 North Carolina into Lexington on Saturday, while St. John’s plays their second road game of the season Monday night against the University of Detroit and sophomore point guard Ray McCallum Jr. Until then, we leave you with some lasting impressions from tonight’s game, one in which the Red Storm can certainly use as an instructional tool throughout the season.
Lasting Impressions
– First and foremost, Sir’Dominic Pointer provided yet another spark off the bench with nine points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes. Ironically, Pointer’s contributions have been minimized on the two occasions in which he has been inserted into the starting lineup. The swingman from Detroit has quietly made a name for himself as the first of only two options on the bench through eight games this season.
– Just as they were for the final four minutes against Arizona, St. John’s turned into a different team without Nurideen Lindsey on the court. The sophomore point guard fouled out with 3:24 remaining in regulation; but unlike the Arizona game, the outcome was decided well before that. Lindsey did finish with five turnovers and just one point, which came at the free throw line.
– Anthony Davis was indeed impressive with his near-triple-double; but the star of last night’s show was Terrence Jones, and for that he is awarded with the game ball. Jones’ season-high 26 points came with nine rebounds, four blocked shots and four steals in what goes down as one of the better all-around stat lines for any player in the nation through this point in the season. Jones also demonstrated an ability to draw fouls far beyond his years, as the sophomore was able to get to the free throw line sixteen times last night. He hit eleven of those foul shots to go with a 7-for-12 shooting effort from the field that also included a three-pointer.
– Finally, Kentucky won this game in transition with an overpowering offense that has some pundits already anointing them as the favorites to win the national championship, but consider this: Even though Kentucky scored 20 offensive rebounds and set a school record with 18 blocked shots, the Wildcats are still a young team that has yet to take on a team of equal talent. Tomorrow’s game against North Carolina will go a long way in determining whether or not Kentucky is a legitimate contender, or just a good (not yet great) team that is just better than its weaker competition.
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