2008 Woodie Awards
Men's basketball drops finale
Deborah N. Harris, Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: Sports
It wasn't exactly your storybook ending. On Friday, the St. John's men's basketball team found out it did not qualify for the Big East Tournament and on Saturday afternoon, at Madison Square Garden, St. John's was unable to secure a win against West Virginia. In fact, the Johnnies completed its season with an 83-74 loss to
the Mountaineers.
The nine-point loss was not indicative of the game, as the Johnnies sent fans on a rollercoaster ride throughout regulation and overtime minutes. Most notably, in the last 13:23 of regulation, the young St. John's team played as if all the experience gained throughout the season finally paid off.
"This could have been a day when our guys could have laid down and [not] get after it, [but] they did," said St. John's head coach Norm Roberts. "It just really shows the character of the young men that we have in our program and how they're going to get better.
"The future looks bright."
The Johnnies came back from an 11-point deficit at the 13:10 mark when it went on a 24-9 run, completely closing the gap and putting the team up by four, 63-59, with 2:24 remaining on the clock. The four-point lead after a three-pointer by sophomore guard Larry Wright off an assist from senior guard Eugene Lawrence was the largest margin the Johnnies held until another four-point advantage came seconds later when the score was 66-62.
West Virginia forward Joe Alexander, who finished with a career high 29 points and 10 rebounds, hit two pairs of free throws that tied the game at 66 with 12 seconds left in regulation. Freshman guard Malik Boothe was then fouled by Mountaineer sophomore guard Joe Mazzulla on a drive to the basket.
Boothe hit two clutch free throws that put the Johnnies back up by two with five secoonds left in the second half. After a questionable St. John's timeout, Mazzulla, trying to compensate for the fouling error, took the ball coast-to-coast and scored a fast-break lay-up, blowing right past St. John's defense.
the Mountaineers.
The nine-point loss was not indicative of the game, as the Johnnies sent fans on a rollercoaster ride throughout regulation and overtime minutes. Most notably, in the last 13:23 of regulation, the young St. John's team played as if all the experience gained throughout the season finally paid off.
"This could have been a day when our guys could have laid down and [not] get after it, [but] they did," said St. John's head coach Norm Roberts. "It just really shows the character of the young men that we have in our program and how they're going to get better.
"The future looks bright."
The Johnnies came back from an 11-point deficit at the 13:10 mark when it went on a 24-9 run, completely closing the gap and putting the team up by four, 63-59, with 2:24 remaining on the clock. The four-point lead after a three-pointer by sophomore guard Larry Wright off an assist from senior guard Eugene Lawrence was the largest margin the Johnnies held until another four-point advantage came seconds later when the score was 66-62.
West Virginia forward Joe Alexander, who finished with a career high 29 points and 10 rebounds, hit two pairs of free throws that tied the game at 66 with 12 seconds left in regulation. Freshman guard Malik Boothe was then fouled by Mountaineer sophomore guard Joe Mazzulla on a drive to the basket.
Boothe hit two clutch free throws that put the Johnnies back up by two with five secoonds left in the second half. After a questionable St. John's timeout, Mazzulla, trying to compensate for the fouling error, took the ball coast-to-coast and scored a fast-break lay-up, blowing right past St. John's defense.
Be the first to comment on this story