Drake

The Champs’ Frontier

November 28, 2010 by Jaden Daly Leave a Comment

Early on in the Great Alaska Shootout championship game and before the opening tip, it looked as though Arizona State was going to leave St. John’s in the dust on their way to the trophy. The Red Storm had other ideas, instead choosing to prove why games aren’t played on paper and aren’t over until the final buzzer.

Riding the momentum forged by their defense en route to nine second-half steals, the Johnnies picked up their first regular season tournament win since the 2005 Holiday Festival with a 67-58 win over the Sun Devils, sending ASU back to the valley of the sun empty-handed after Arizona State jumped out to a 30-20 halftime lead. After shooting just 26% from the field in the opening stanza, the Johnnies came out firing over the final twenty minutes, outscoring ASU 47-28.

Justin Brownlee, who led St. John’s (4-1) with 20 points, was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. D.J. Kennedy was also named to the all-tournament team despite two quiet outings against Arizona State and Drake. Dwight Hardy received the same honors after scoring all of his 14 points in the second half, making up for an 0-for-7 start. After not having their most effective outings since making the cross-country trip, Paris Horne and Malik Stith continued their solid and underrated play, (11 and 10 points, respectively) helping to not only tie the game midway through the second half, but also giving the Red Storm a lead it would never relinquish. Ty Abbott paced the runner-up Sun Devils and all scorers with 22 points, and for a while it seemed as though he would be the latest shooter to render Steve Lavin’s zone defense a non-factor in much the same way Clint Steindl did for St. Mary’s in the Red Storm’s season opener.

Looking back, the Johnnies executed on the keys to victory that were outlined earlier today. They were able to shoot in the second half after not getting baskets to fall in the early going, and the energy level over the game’s final minutes reached crescendos never seen under Norm Roberts as St. John’s played aggressive by forcing turnovers and hard fouls.

St. John’s gets a few days to rest after traveling back to New York as their next game is Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena against Staten Island invaders Wagner College and first-year head coach Danny Hurley. Tipoff is slated for 7pm, and since the game is not televised, you can listen to the free online stream of WSJU Radio with Johnny Jungle’s own Dan Martin and Tim Dimas on the call.

Great Alaska Blowout

November 27, 2010 by Jaden Daly 1 Comment

After coming back from a second-half deficit to topple Ball State in overtime yesterday morning, St. John’s needed to stay focused against Drake tonight.

Boy, did they ever.

Three Johnnies ended the night in double figures and four more chipped in with eight points each as the Red Storm (3-1) rolled over Drake by the final of 82-39. The win was the first victory of 40 or more points for St. John’s since November 23, 1999; when Mike Jarvis guided the boys from Queens to an 84-43 thrashing of Stony Brook. Tonight gave Steve Lavin many reasons to smile, as not only did his team spread the love offensively; they also shot 58% (30-for-52) from the field.

Justin Brownlee led the Red Storm with 13 points while Dwight Hardy scored all of his 11 in the first half, where the Johnnies came out of the opening stanza and into the locker room with a 45-17 advantage. Sean Evans was the other St. John’s player to manage a double-figure outing, tallying 10. Rayvonte Rice and Aaron Hawley led Drake with 10 points each.

There were several keys to victory going in for the Johnnies, namely guard play and playing with confidence overall. Not only did the Red Storm backcourt contribute, but there was never a point over forty minutes where a lack of confidence could be found. In addition to Hardy’s 11 points, Paris Horne and Malik Boothe tallied eight each. Boothe also facilitated some scoring opportunities with six assists. Although quiet in the box score with just a half-dozen points, D.J. Kennedy added eight rebounds to help the Johnnies win the battle of the boards 38-24. St. John’s also exhibited better ball control by committing just 12 turnovers.

St. John’s now plays for the Great Alaska Shootout championship tonight (tomorrow morning on the East Coast) against Arizona State, with a midnight Eastern time tipoff.

Quicker Picker Upper- Brownlee!

November 25, 2010 by Jaden Daly 1 Comment

For most of the game, it was more of the same for St. John’s. From allowing the game’s first seven points, to the inability to hit a shot at various stages, to the free throw struggles that plagued the Johnnies under Norm Roberts; it seemed like the Red Storm were intent on turning back the clock and falling to 1-2.

Fortunately, Justin Brownlee had other ideas.

Brownlee had what many would consider the game of his life earlier this morning, posting a career-high 20 points to go along with 8 rebounds as St. John’s overcame adversity and ineffectiveness to defeat Ball State in overtime by the final of 78-73. Even though Dwight Hardy added 12 points of his own, including a 5-of-6 performance at the free throw line during the extra session; Brownlee was there whenever the Johnnies needed a spark. The Georgia native helped ignite a first-half Red Storm run with a three from the top of the key, and saved his most impactful contributions for when they mattered most. Brownlee’s layup in the final minute of regulation tied the game at 63, and he picked up right where he left off in overtime by scoring the first points in the five-minute bonus stanza.

Jesse Berry paced the Cardinals with 18 points; and although he wasn’t as ubiquitous as some would normally expect, D.J. Kennedy had yet another solid game for the Johnnies. “The Hitman” tallied 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, with his triple from the left wing in the final minute of overtime serving as the icing on the cake, as it put St. John’s ahead 70-65. Ball State would cut the deficit to just three before Hardy’s two final free throws sealed the outcome.

While the Red Storm shot 51% from the field, they were only 16-of-30 (53%) at the charity stripe, something Steve Lavin must find a remedy for before St. John’s (2-1) tips off tomorrow night against Drake in the semifinals of the Great Alaska Shootout.