Roger Rubin: St. John's 11th straight win features melee at Providence, six player ejections
A game official separates St. John's coaches and players after a fight broke out during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Providence on Saturday in Providence, R.I. Credit: AP/Mark Stockwell
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Saturday's Big East Conference game between St. John’s and Providence was entirely memorable, for mostly the wrong reasons.
With Providence leading by a point, the Red Storm’s Bryce Hopkins was attempting to finish a fast break when the Friars’ Duncan Powell laid him out with a clothesline takedown that set off a melee with 14:25 remaining. The game was halted for 19 minutes as the teams were separated and game officials reviewed video, and six players were ejected.
At the end of the 17th-ranked Red Storm’s 79-69 triumph before 11,714 at Amica Mutual Pavilion, there is room for a final analysis that goes beyond the score.
The Red Storm were not thrown by the fracas even though Dillon Mitchell, Sadiku Ibine Ayo, Kelvin Odih and Ruben Prey were among the ejections. They kept their focus on the outcome of the game, picked up their 11th straight win to get a little payback for their only conference loss on Jan. 3, and walked out of the building with essentially nothing to be ashamed of.
The same cannot be said for Providence. There was plenty of shame to go around.
New Yorkers like to reference Philadelphia sports fans as among the toughest on visiting teams, replete with a mean streak. Providence’s college basketball fans share a lot of characteristics with them. They always make Amica a tough place to play and they are passionate. But the way they focused their ire on Hopkins for his decision last spring to transfer from Providence to St. John’s was not only embarrassing, it likely fed the brutality with which Powell took him down.
It felt as if there was intent in Powell’s actions, and he was ejected after being charged with a flagrant 2 foul and a technical for fighting after throwing a punch. Providence’s Jaylin Sellers also was ejected.
Hopkins immediately was wrapped up and pulled away by former Providence teammate Oswin Erhunmwunse and was not involved in the melee, instead putting his hand to his head and making sure he was all in one piece.
The Big East said in a statement that it will be reviewing the incident “to see if any additional penalties are warranted.” It wouldn’t be hard to envision Powell receiving a suspension.
In referring to the Red Storm players who were ejected, St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said, “You're not supposed to come off the bench, but you can't let your players get beat up.”
Pitino was the coach when the Friars went to the 1987 Final Four and has always spoken glowingly of his time there. He was less charmed on Saturday.
“The crowd lost objectivity of what they're here for,” Pitino said. “If they're just here to poke fun at Bryce Hopkins and not get a win for the Friars, that’s not the Friars I remember from ’87. I think you’ve got to try to win.
“One thing you can understand: we didn’t initiate anything.”
The Red Storm (20-5, 13-1) didn’t start it, but they certainly did finish it. With Mitchell and his ballhandling removed from their equation, Dylan Darling stepped to the fore. He scored the last eight points in a 13-3 run that began with free throws after the incident, and his layup with 12:32 to play gave the Red Storm a 52-43 lead. Providence (11-15, 4-11) never got closer than six points the rest of the way.
Darling, Zuby Ejiofor and Oziyah Sellers ushered St. John’s to the victory after the fight. After play resumed, Darling had 16 of his 23 points (in 27 minutes off the bench), Ejiofor had 10 of his 14 and Sellers had seven of his 11.
Asked about playing on with a short bench, Darling replied, “You try not to think about it, but definitely some of us needed to step up without [Mitchell], one of our leaders. Somebody needed to step up . . . and we were fired up from the exchange.”
“That's just who we are — and we know exactly what we're playing for,'' Ejiofor said. “We’re playing to win a championship, and that's a one-game-at-a-time mentality . . . Our biggest thing was to stay composed, [and] we did exactly what we came to do.”
Remarkably, there was a second incident. With five minutes to play and Ejiofor streaking to the rim for a fast-break dunk or layup, Jamier Jones shoved him hard in the back and sent him sprawling over the baseline. Ejiofor did not retaliate and Jones was ejected.
Hopkins was on the Friars when former Providence coach Ed Cooley brought his first Georgetown team to Amica, so he had an idea about what the venom might be like. He said he expected the same and he got it. The crowd chanted “[expletive] Bryce Hopkins” often, booed every time he touched the ball and roared wildly with each of his missed shots. He had nine points and nine rebounds but shot 3-for-14.
The crowd might have been at its worst after Powell got ejected, though. They chanted his name in support and he egged them on as he made his way off the court.
It won’t go down as a banner day for Providence coach Kim English, whose seat has been red-hot given the disappointing performance of the Friars’ talent-laden roster.
His commentary about the way the fans went after Hopkins was that at a Catholic school, it would have been better without the swearing. And his defense of Powell’s foul on Hopkins was mild.
“There's absolutely a time to have hard fouls,” he said. “You never want to hit anyone in the head intentionally. Obviously, I didn't think that was a time for hard fouls.”
Providence got pinned with a 15th loss on Saturday. There was much more to be ashamed of than that.
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.
