Storm does itself proud by beating Irish

Having a chance to be The Man is more than a figure of speech in the Big East. Every week, every game offers a chance for someone to take a stand. At moments like that, especially after two tough losses, St. John's is proud to have so many players who have grown up so much.

"They are men and they played like men," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said Sunday after his team was outdefended, outhustled and outexperienced in the Red Storm's 72-54 win at the Garden. "They treated us like boys at times. And I told our group that."

Making that point to the ninth-ranked Irish was redundant after the Storm's seniors spent all afternoon stifling Notre Dame with pressure, forcing turnovers, running fast breaks and making big plays when big plays were absolutely needed.

For instance, the Subway Alumni were stirred to sing "Let's go, Irish!" after a steal and jam by Ben Hansbrough (18 points) brought Notre Dame within 37-31 with 13:22 left. But D.J. Kennedy, one of those St. John's seniors, drilled a three-pointer 25 seconds later. Notre Dame never did get any traction after that.

"That's what a senior guy who's one of the better players in the league does," Brey said. "I'd rather live with a jump shot and see if they could make it, and he made it. He answered the bell."

Kennedy really iced it with a desperation two-pointer as the shot clock ran out and a subsequent free throw that made it 60-46 with 4:15 left.

"It really comes from practice," Kennedy said. "The shots I take and make are the ones I take in practice. Coach always forces me to be aggressive at all times, and in the second half, that's what I tried to come out and do."

Four years of practice helped him score all 14 of his points in the second half of a game that could have been a trendsetter had the Storm (11-5, 4-2 Big East) lost it.

The ride had been bumpy after losses to Notre Dame (14-4, 3-3) on the road and Syracuse at home. It took maturity to shake those off.

"Against Syracuse, we played a tough 12 minutes, but the rest of the game they had their way with us," said Malik Boothe, who put four seasons' worth of toughness on display with his 14 points off the bench. "Today, we came out with a hard 40 minutes."

"They played tough, they played physical," said Notre Dame forward Tyrone Nash, who played for Lawrence Woodmere Academy. "We turned the ball over and they made points off turnovers, and that's the game."

Boothe, having been nudged out of the starting lineup last month by a hamstring injury, hit two pacesetting three-pointers in the first half. He also embodied the relentless defense that forced those 20 Notre Dame turnovers. "He has a great competitive spirit that's also contagious. The other players feed off that," St. John's coach Steve Lavin said.

Fellow seniors Dwight Hardy and Justin Brownlee had 12 and 11 points, respectively. It's a tribute to the players' savvy that St. John's has beaten two ranked teams (Georgetown earlier) for the first time in five years.

And it's a compliment when the opposing coach calls them "men." How exactly does it make a person feel? Said Boothe, "Like a man."