St. John's NCAA Tournament bid likely over after loss to Seton Hall
Sandro Mamukelashvili of the Seton Hall Pirates and Arnaldo Toro of the St. John's Red Storm fight for the ball in the first half during the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, March 11, 2021. Credit: Getty Images/Elsa
It’s all over but the crying.
St. John’s dream of reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time under coach Mike Anderson likely died Thursday afternoon on the floor of Madison Square Garden. The Red Storm were in a must-win situation against Seton Hall in a Big East quarterfinal and shot miserably, especially in the second half and overtime, as they fell 77-69 at the Garden.
St. John’s (16-11) shot 33% from the floor for the game, 28% in the second half and missed six of its first seven shots in the overtime. In the extra period, the Pirates (14-12) were 3-for-5 from the floor and got to the line for a dozen free throws, making nine.
"Some teams just have that type of night," Rasheem Dunn said. "Tonight that was that night for us. The shots that we've been making all year [missed]. We had good looks, open threes, pull-ups – but it just wasn't falling. We couldn't do anything about it. It was just that type of night for us."
Seton Hall’s win may have breathed life back into its chance at making the NCAAs for the fifth straight time. The Pirates ended a four-game skid and will meet eighth-seeded Georgetown (10-12), an upset winner over top-seeded Villanova, in Friday’s 6 p.m. semifinal at the Garden.
St. John’s may have done enough this season for an invite to the NIT and Anderson, when asked whether the team would accept, said "we will continue to play."
Julian Champagnie, the Big East’s top scorer, had 16 points but made only 7 of 21 shots. He made only one of his last six shots in the second half and missed both he took in the overtime.
"I thought he got tired," Anderson said. "He had some great looks out there. He just couldn't knock them down. Of course, their playbook is going to be to make him work for everything that he gets. And early on he was making shots for us, making plays for us. But it's just one of those nights where it didn't happen for him."
Rasheem Dunn had 15 points and Greg Williams Jr. and Marcellus Earlington added 12 points apiece for St. John’s. Posh Alexander had six points and three steals in his return from a thumb sprain.
For the Pirates, Sando Mamukelashvili had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Baldwin product Jared Rhoden had 19 points and 16 rebounds and 7-2 Ike Obiagu had seven of the team’s 10 blocked shots. St. John’s 6-9 Isaih Moore might have made a difference against The Hall’s size, but he was ruled out for the game as a result of contact tracing after a Tier One staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
If Seton Hall had an advantage it might have been experience. Their go-to players are seniors and juniors whereas Champagnie is a sophomore and Alexander a freshman.
"You can tell they've been there," Anderson said.
Dunn made a pair of free throws with 1:04 left in regulation for a 62-60 St. John’s lead. Myles Cales tied it for the Pirates with a driving layup with 54 seconds left. Champagnie missed an open jumper on the Storm’s last regulation possession, but they got two stops on Mamukelashvili to force OT.
St. John’s never led in the overtime as the Pirates showed superior poise and more accurate shooting.
"It was very disappointing," Dunn said. "They just wanted it more than us."
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
