Harkless' tip-in at buzzer lifts St. John's
St. John's forward Moe Harkless (4) shoots against Cincinnati forward Justin Jackson (5) and guard Dion Dixon in the second half. (Jan. 7, 2012) Credit: AP
CINCINNATI -- Midway through the second half of Saturday's game, St. John's had built a 15-point cushion against one of the hottest teams in the Big East. The Red Storm needed every point of that lead, plus a little more.
After Cincinnati tied the score on Jeremiah Davis' three-pointer with nine seconds left, Moe Harkless tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer to give St. John's a 57-55 win.
"It was a slugfest," St. John's assistant coach Mike Dunlap said. "It was a heck of a game."
The Storm entered the game winless away from New York this season: 0-3 in away games and 0-2 at neutral sites. The Bearcats had won seven straight.
But strong defense, coupled with the Bearcats' poor shooting and lack of focus, helped the Storm begin the second half with a 21-3 run that erased Cincinnati's three-point halftime lead.
St. John's took a 43-28 lead with 9:52 remaining, appropriately enough, on a tip-in by Harkless (14 points, 14 rebounds). D'Angelo Harrison's short jumper gave the Storm a 52-42 lead with 4:05 left, and Harrison (18 points) hit two free throws with 18 seconds left to make it 55-52 before Davis tied it. The Bearcats were 6-for-31 from three-point range before his trey.
After St. John's called timeout with 3.5 seconds to play, Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin told his players to keep St. John's outside and force the Red Storm to shoot from long range. But the Bearcats instead went for the steal on the inbounds pass, and St. John's guard Phil Greene passed to the open Harrison. His floater rolled off the rim, but Harkless tipped in the rebound just before the backboard lit up.
"The play was initially for D'Angelo to get the ball, and either get the three or look inside and pass it to me so I could get the shot," Harkless said. "But he had room to drive, so he took the floater, and I was there at the right spot at the right time."
God'sgift Achiuwa had nine points and Amir Garrett eight for St. John's (8-7, 2-2 Big East). Sean Kilpatrick scored 21 points and Yancy Gates 10 for Cincinnati (12-4, 2-1). The Bearcats finished 20-for-76 from the field, their worst shooting performance to date.
The Bearcats led 25-22 at halftime, with both teams on pace to have their lowest-scoring games of the season. "I don't think we moved the ball well enough, but I think it's because Cincy was in our passing lanes and they were really crawling on us," Dunlap said. "Things loosened up in the second half and we moved the ball freer."
At one point early in the second half, as Cincinnati's poor shooting continued, boos rained down from the crowd. It was a testament to St. John's steadily improving defense, which helped the Red Storm grind out a much-needed road victory.
"We stressed defense [at halftime]," Harrison said. "I think we got seven stops in a row at the start of the second half, so that's key. If we can get stops, we can get offense."
