“I come away being really proud of my son,” Rick Pitino said after his second in-conference matchup against his son Richard Pitino and his Xavier Musketeers.
The inaugural Big East matchup for the Pitinos ended in victory for the now No. 17 St. John’s at 88-83; a high scoring game that offered a glimpse of foreshadowing into their second game.
A familiar formula fronted St. John’s their first 14 points in this rematch: playing through their stars.
Oziyah Sellers (11 pts, 4-11 FG), Bryce Hopkins (19 pts, 9 rebs, 9-11 FTs) and Zuby Ejiofor (25 pts, 7 rebs, 9-13 FG) were the only avenues of offense for the Johnnies, combining for these 14 points in the first seven minutes of play. The trio provided a concentrated but unstoppable attack from beyond-the-arc and inside the paint, leading the Red Storm to an early one point lead at 14-13.
But the three-man offense wasn’t enough to keep St. John’s afloat, as Xavier’s three-level scorer Malik Messina-Moore (11 pts, 3-8 FG) and crafty big man Jovan Milicevic (13 pts, 5-12 FG) torched the Johnnies again. Milicevic’s 10 first half points crowned him as the leading scorer for his squad, helping to erase the minute advantage that the Red Storm held.
After a five point swing netted Xavier a 24-19 lead, neither of the Pitinos could secure their squad a comfortable cushion as the two traded baskets.
It became clear that this would be a battle won in the trenches, with Milicevic for the Musketeers and Ejiofor for the Johnnies leading both armies. Xavier and St. John’s scored over half of their points from the paint, but it was the Red Storm that scored more at 28-22; they also corralled more rebounds at 21-17.
A late first half scoring burst for the Johnnies came in an unexpected form; and it wasn’t the front court leaders Hopkins or Ejiofor that kept St. John’s competitive. The shortest player on Rick Pitino’s roster, Dylan Darling (16 pts, 5 rebs, 4 asts), exploded for eight points all from free throws or driving layups in the final five minutes of the half.
“I started off slow but ‘Coach P’ gave me confidence,” Darling said after the game in regard to his Hall of Fame coach’s trust in him. “I’ve been trying to be the calm in chaos at the end of games, to try and settle everyone down.”
Darling’s giant slaying efforts brought the Johnnies into the half even with Xavier at 42-42.
To begin the second half, the Red Storm saw a regression to the mean in their offensive playcalling. Hopkins and Ejiofor posted 15 of the team’s first 24 points, while Xavier’s third lethal scorer, Tre Carroll, carried the Musketeers’ offense on his shoulders.
Both offenses operated to their highest potential, handing one possession leads back-and-forth like a baton. Xavier’s largest lead was at 69-64 but this was almost immediately one-upped by St. John’s snatching a three-point 74-71 lead, all in a span of four minutes.
The Johnnies, fueled by more Darling free throws, still held strong with a three point lead with two minutes remaining. And just as they saw their 10th straight victory in sight… it was all jeopardized.
Tre Carroll’s (21 pts, 8 rebs, 9-21 FG) clutch floater finished off another five point swing in favor of the Musketeers, giving Xavier a crucial two point lead with under 30 seconds left on the clock.
Multiple missed shots from Hopkins and Sellers seemingly spelled out defeat for the Red Storm, all before Sellers followed-up his own miss with a put-back layup that tied the contest at 78-all, giving St. John’s five more minutes to extend their win streak.
To begin overtime, the Red Storm turned to one of their most trusted (if not frustrating) scoring strategies: free throws. In just five minutes of play time, the Johnnies shot eight free throws and forced three Musketeers to foul out: Messina-Moore, Carroll and Isaiah Walker (7 pts, 3-3 FG).
Xavier was significantly undermanned with two of their leading scorers disqualified and the Musketeers didn’t stand much of a chance against a fully powered St. John’s offense.
While the subtext of the Big East’s second “Pitino Bowl” wasn’t as dramatic as Jan. 24, the on-court product was just as thrilling and the result stayed the same in the end as St. John’s won by a final score of 87-82.
“All the credit goes to Richard, his staff and his players,” Rick Pitino said after the game, giving nothing but praise to his son’s Musketeers. “They’ve outplayed us twice… I hope we don’t play them in the Big East Tournament.”
A five point victory against an inferior opponent may not be the most inspiring outcome on paper; but another hard fought, classic Big East win in physical fashion continues the momentum that St. John’s has been building over the last month.
Now after two nail-biting victories — one over the No. 3 team in the nation and one against Pitino’s potential heir apparent — vibes could not be higher for the Red Storm.
Their next chance to reach 11 straight in-conference victory comes against the Providence Friars in Rhode Island for a Valentine’s Day matchup.
