St. John’s sneaks past West Virginia 70-68 in the Garden
St. John’s made their Madison Square Garden home debut versus the West Virginia Mountaineers on a brisk December afternoon. St. Johns comes into this contest sitting on a 7-2 record, while the Mountaineers are an undefeated 7-0. Both teams are very well-coached with West Virginia led by legendary coach Bob Huggins and St. John’s coached by Mike Anderson. St. John’s would win this closely contested game 70-68 and bring the Johnnies record to 8-2 on the season.
NEW YORK, N.Y. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: St. John’s Guard Rasheem Dunn was crucial to their win over West Virginia. He sank 2 free throws with 5 seconds remaining to seal the game. Photo courtesy of Cal Griffin/ATH
After shaking off some nerves St. Johns settled down and was able to hit some shots and keep the game close. It’s a miracle that the Johnnies were even close considering them shooting a staggering 8% from 3 point territory and 33% from the field. The lead changed hands 8 times during the first half and actually ended up deadlocked at 36 points apiece. St. John’s Guard LJ Figueroa led all scorers at the half pouring in 17 points.
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: St. John’s Guard Mustapha Heron boxing out West Virginia big man on their way to victory at the Garden. Photo courtesy of Cal Griffin/ATH
The Johnnies seemed to have an inspiring half time speech because they came out firing on all cylinders. Point guard Rasheem Dunn settled the team down in the 2nd half and became a floor general. He increased his defensive pressure and was one of the main reasons why St. Johns came away with the victory. St. John’s forced West Virginia into 22 turnovers and in turn, converted those turnovers into 22 points. St. Johns also scored 20 points off of fast breaks as opposed to 10 points from West Virginia.
This game came down to toughness, grit, and determination” Anderson Said. “I think these guys are starting to put that on display. When you shoot 32% percent, against a team like West Virginia, you have to find a way, and I think we found a way with defense.
Late in the 2nd half with the game still within reach, West Virginia Forward Derek Culver led a last-minute 9-0 run highlighted by two thunderous dunks. With the game still hanging in the balance, Sophomore Guard Sean McNeal hit a clutch 3 to tie the game at 68. The late-game heroics sent the MSG Mountaineer fans into a frenzy. With about 5 seconds remaining and the game tied, Rasheem Dunn drove the lane and got fouled on a layup attempt.
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: St. John’s Marcellus Earlington sizing up West Virginia’s Emmit Mathews Jr. Photo courtesy of Cal Griffin/ATH
This was the first win for St. Johns at the Garden in the Mike Anderson era. The game was not a flawless game for St. Johns by any means. They shot horribly from the 3-point territory at 12% (2-17) and 32% (23-70) from the field. With those kind of shooting numbers, only grit and determination can produce a win. Led by LJ Figueroa’s game-high 17 points, the Johnnies look to him for leadership and scoring.
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y – MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: A disappointed Bob Huggins looks on as his West Virginia team faces their first loss of the season to St. John’s. Photo courtesy of Cal Griffin/ATH
Rasheem Dunn was huge in the win and finished with 13 points and 4 assists and 5 rebounds. Once the High School teammate of former St. Johns Star Shamorie Ponds, Dunn paid homage to Ponds. “He’s the reason I’m here!” Dunn won a PSAL High School title with Ponds at Thomas Jefferson HS and is back to MSG for the first time since winning that title. So, this means a lot for Dunn. He willed his team to the win and deserves kudos for doing so.
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: St. John’s Julian Champagnie and LJ Figueroa agree on a plan late in the game versus West Virginia. Photo courtesy of Cal Griffin/ATH
St. Johns faces Brown at home in their next contest and Albany after that. They will continue to push the pace and use their defense as a catalyst to propel their offense. They aren’t the most talented St. John’s team in school history but if they can remain consistent on the defensive end, they will be a tough team to beat. Only time will tell how good this team can be.