Down two starters, Rutgers rights ship with gritty win over Purdue

 

Montez Mathis’ 25 points helped Rutgers overcome absence of Ron Harper in win over Purdue. (Photo by Rutgers Athletics)

Next man up.

That was the three-word mantra invoked within the Rutgers locker room after Cliff Omoruyi sprained his knee nine days ago against Illinois, after Jacob Young landed hard and gingerly after a dunk attempt against Ohio State Wednesday. And after the latest unexpected blow to a thin roster hit shortly before tipoff Tuesday night, that rally cry became more important than ever.

With Ron Harper, Jr. suffering a sprained ankle that rendered him unavailable just one hour before Rutgers took the court against Purdue, the next-man-up mentality Geo Baker stressed following Wednesday’s loss manifested itself even stronger Tuesday, taking root in Montez Mathis’ career-high 25 points leading the 14th-ranked Scarlet Knights past the visiting Boilermakers in an 81-76 triumph at the RAC that saw Rutgers surrender a 15-point lead before picking itself up and digging in to prove Baker prophetic when he claimed he and his teammates would bounce back.

“I just thought (it was) a gutty, gritty win today for us,” Steve Pikiell reaffirmed after Rutgers (7-1, 3-1 Big Ten) flushed Wednesday's setback in Columbus with an effort that defined how the program has come to be known since he assumed the reins on the banks in 2016. “I just like the fact that we’re figuring out ways to win. I like the fact that when we need big stops, we’re getting them, and I like the fact that every night, somebody different can step up and do great things. I thought our team responded the way we’re supposed to respond. Geo looked like Geo, Montez was spectacular. It’s a good team win tonight with good toughness.”

“It was really important that we bounced back,” Baker added, doubling down on his belief that the loss to Chris Holtmann’s Buckeyes was merely a pothole in the road. “We felt like we let one go at Ohio State, and for the young guys, we tell them every day how much we believe in them. We all believe in each other. Every guy has the ability to step up and make plays, and you saw it today. They had their numbers called today, and they stepped up. That’s what a great team does.”

Mathis, first and foremost, displayed a quiet confidence that has fueled his evolution into perhaps the most lethal weapon in the Piscataway arsenal when it is sharp and engaged. Lauded as a defensive savant through most of his tenure in the Garden State, the junior guard continued to showcase his burgeoning outside shot, connecting on all five of his 3-point field goal attempts in a 9-of-15 overall effort from the floor.

“I just do whatever it takes to get the win,” a humble Mathis modestly surmised. “I feel like I’ve put a lot of work in my 3-point shot every day, and I just feel confident in myself with makes and misses. As long as I’m putting the work in, I can live with the results.”

“Montez really has been as consistent a guy on our team,” said Pikiell. “He’s had really good, consistent practices, too, and he really improved his jump shot. He really put the time in, he’s in the gym — we’re thankful to have a gym that’s open 24 hours — and he’s certainly taking advantage of that. We need nights like this from Montez. He can score it, he can get to the rim, he can post it. He can do a lot of things, and I think you saw a little bit of everything tonight.”

On a night where Rutgers needed all hands on deck, the added contributions were a revelation. Myles Johnson was not as effective Tuesday as he was against Illinois and Ohio State, but he was picked up by Mamadou Doucoure as the pair attempt to fill the void left by the injured Omoruyi. In addition, freshmen Oskar Palmquist and Dean Reiber — the latter of whom posted a team-best plus-14 efficiency rating — posted career nights at the most opportune of times, an occurrence not lost on one of their sophomore teammates.

“I’ve been waiting to talk about this,” Paul Mulcahy gushed, individually naming each of Rutgers’ reserves, including the scout team. “Our bench has done a phenomenal job. They do everything that no one sees or talks about, but these guys have helped us all year, and then they bring positive energy on the bench. They’ve done an absolutely amazing job. Those guys have set us up and put us in the position that we are now.”

“I think we have a really confident team,” Baker reiterated. “I think that was always there, but we just showed good veteran leadership. I stepped up, JY (Jacob Young) stepped up, and that’s what good teams do, that’s what great teams do, and that’s going to lead to more wins down the road.”

5 Thoughts: Cale, Rhoden erupt to lead Seton Hall past Georgetown

 

Myles Cale exploded for career-high 30 points as Seton Hall got back in win column Wednesday. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

If I would have told you in the fall that Sandro Mamukelashvili would be a total non-factor for the Seton Hall Pirates, and yet they would lead by as many as 19 points in a Big East game and never have that lead seriously threatened, you probably would have thought I was crazy.

But that's exactly what happened, as Myles Cale and Jared Rhoden each had career nights as the Pirates jumped out to a sizable early lead and cruised to a 78-67 victory over the Hoyas, bouncing back after the heartbreaker against Providence this weekend.

Here are the thoughts:

1. Two-Man, Blue Man Group (Part 1)

No, that wasn't Myles Powell and this wasn't MSG, but it had that feel for the Pirates and Hoyas because Cale just could not be stopped. He poured in a career-high 30 points, shattering his previous high of 23, on 10-of-16 shooting, including 5-of-9 from deep. Not only was he locked in, he played with a level of confidence he's never shown before. He got a couple early shots to drop, and it was all downhill from there.

You could see a little swagger in the way that he was looking for his own shot in the second half, pulling up both off the catch and off the dribble with vigor. With Mamukelashvili saddled with foul trouble early, it was Cale who got the Pirates going, and then kept them going.

"What I liked about Myles tonight is that he stayed aggressive," head coach Kevin Willard said. "I think that's the biggest growth I've seen in Myles."

2. Two-Man, Blue Man Group (Part 2) 

Even with Cale's amazing game, the Pirates would have had a difficult time if not for Rhoden's 26 points and 12 rebounds, an effort which tied his career-best in points and set a new benchmark in boards. Rhoden did this on 10-of-19 shooting (3-of-7 from deep), and added four assists and a pair of steals. 

There were a couple instances that showed his maturity as well. With the Pirates up a comfortable margin in the second half, Rhoden caught a pass from Mamu behind the 3-point line, and was semi-open. If he had shot it from there, no one would have questioned the look. But instead, with a defender in the general area, he faked out the defender, and drove to the basket for a layup, plus got fouled in the process. Turning down a good shot for a great shot is something all coaches love to see.

The second time was when Georgetown had gone on a 9-0 run to cut the Pirates' lead to nine in the waning stages of the game. Rhoden had the ball in his hands with the shot clock winding down, but instead of tossing up a long two-pointer or settling for a three, he took two power dribbles to the elbow, rose up, and canned the mid-range jumper that has become a big part of his game. 

It was a critical basket to officially slam the door on the Hoyas, and showed just how far he's come. The scary thing for the rest of the Big East is that he's only getting better.

3. Ike's Block Party

Willard said after the game that part of Seton Hall’s game plan defensively was to chase the Hoyas off the 3-point line and make them go inside. However, when they went inside, all they found in the first half was 7'2" Ike Obiagu, and the big man feasted. Though he only scored four points in the game on two dunks, he blocked seven shots in the first 10 minutes, and almost ended up with the strangest double-double of nine rebounds and nine blocked shots.

"Ike's continuing to get better and better," Willard said. "He's improving, getting more confidence every game. I think (Georgetown) got a little hesitant getting around the rim, and that's what you want."

Obiagu was a pretty big reason the Pirates made the Hoyas' offense look bad in the opening stages of the game, getting them out to that early lead that they never relinquished. Obiagu became just the fourth Seton Hall player ever to record that many blocks in a game in the process, after Samuel Dalembert (twice), Eddie Griffin, and Glenn Mosley.

4. Aiken For Some Baskets

Bryce Aiken played 22 minutes off the Seton Hall bench tonight, and put up six assists against just two turnovers while looking smooth running the offense. He was moving well as he continues to work his way back into peak form following a twisted ankle.

The thing he hasn't gotten going yet is his shot- the graduate transfer shot just 1-for-9 from the floor and 0-for-5 from deep. Most of his misses from 3-point land were well beyond the arc, and a couple may have been a tad forced. But according to his teammates and coach, he can knock it down from that distance.

"He's shooting it with confidence," Cale said. "We'll take (him) stepping in and shooting it with confidence and without hesitating."

"I've seen Bryce make, like, ten shots behind the NBA line in practice," Rhoden added. 

The head coach in particular says that he's coming along.

"The last two days — yesterday's practice and today's game — have given me tremendous confidence in Bryce just from a standpoint of getting into a rhythm and finding a rhythm," Willard said. "His ankle looks good, his knee looks good. I think right now, he just needs more game shots. We can do individual workouts all day long, but you get in a game, and your heart starts beating a little bit different, the defense is a little bit different. I think he's starting to trend in a good (direction). I'm excited about where he is."

5. Mamu Quiet?

Mamukelashvili picked up two early fouls, sat for a while, and never really got going offensively in this game. Of course, Seton Hall didn't need it with Cale and Rhoden playing so well, but for those wondering why the Pirates' best player had such a poor game, Willard chalked it up to being mentally drained.

"Sandro's been our workhorse," Willard said. "We've played 10 games in 28 days, and he's playing 38 minutes a game, taking 17 shots a game. To be perfectly honest, I think he was just mentally taxed. When you're 6'11" and you don't have the ball in your hands as much as a guard would, I think he was just a little burnt out. I think this break is coming at a great time for him."

The Pirates now do have a nice chunk of time off for the holidays, resuming action December 30 at Xavier.

Lack of depth, size too much for Rutgers to overcome against Ohio State

 

Montez Mathis looks for an open teammate as Rutgers suffered first loss of season at Ohio State. (Photo by Rutgers Athletics)

Even Superman has his kryptonite.

For Rutgers, it was a confluence of events that brought the cacophony of excitement down to earth Wednesday night, as the euphoria surrounding the 11th-ranked Scarlet Knights was temporarily silenced in an 80-68 loss to Ohio State inside Value City Arena in Columbus.

Rutgers (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) looked convincing through the majority of the first half, seizing control with a combination of 3-point shooting and its textbook defensive lockdown to open up a double-digit lead on a Buckeyes team ranked 23rd in the nation. Despite Cliff Omoruyi being unavailable after spraining his knee in Sunday’s win over Illinois, the Scarlet Knights valiantly fought, stretching their cushion as wide as 16 points before fate turned on two whistles and a landing that looked every bit as painful for those watching at home as it did for the integral piece of the puzzle to whom it happened.

First, the initial of the two questionable infractions occurred with 8:44 remaining in regulation and Rutgers holding a 59-51 lead. Myles Johnson, as important a part of Rutgers’ lineup as ever Wednesday with Omoruyi out and Mamadou Doucoure playing limited minutes, and the recipient of a rather controversial fourth foul call five minutes prior, exited the game when official Bo Boroski — who called Johnson’s fourth foul — rung him up for his fifth and final whistle to eliminate whatever post presence the Scarlet Knights had against Ohio State and its two-headed interior tandem of Kyle Young and E.J. Liddell.

“To only have him on the court for 15 minutes without Cliff is not a good thing,” Steve Pikiell reflected, taking the high road and abstaining from criticizing the officials even if it appeared the Buckeyes were immensely aided by calls that went in their favor. “But those are the obstacles. We’ve got to figure it out, we’ve got to get out guys back. He got some fouls early and he never really got into the flow, but he’s a good player. He’ll bounce back and we’ll learn a lot from this.”

Just over a minute later, Rutgers’ already short rotation shrunk even smaller when Jacob Young, who had been — along with Ron Harper, Jr. — one of the two most important cogs in the scarlet machine — went up for a dunk attempt and came down to the floor with a crashing thud. He was tended to by trainer Rich Campbell, but did not return, leaving a gaping hole in the Scarlet Knights’ offense that was willingly exploited by Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann.

“He fell really hard, and he’s in a lot of pain,” said Pikiell, who later revealed Young was receiving medical attention while his press conference was going on. “We’re just keeping our fingers crossed.”

“We just have the next-man-up mentality,” Geo Baker assessed in the wake of Young’s absence and his teammates navigating the final stretch. “Douc and Dean (Reiber) came in and gave us great minutes, and they came in and fought. We’re hoping JY gets better, but it’s next-man-up mentality. We’ve just got to keep playing.”

The coup de grace came at the 4:25 mark of the second half on this Festivus night, when Boroski entrenched himself as the prime subject for Rutgers fans partaking in the airing of grievances by calling a technical foul that appeared to be the first-EVER assessed to Pikiell in his 15-plus years as a head coach, despite his well-documented intensity and fierce competitive streak, but will officially enter the books as a team technical.

“I just have to do a better job,” the affable Pikiell lamented, offering no excuses and taking the brunt of the blame for the second-half letdown. “That’s it. I have to do a better job with the officials. They’re great. They do a great job.”

“I knew they were a really good team whether we won or lost,” he continued, crediting an Ohio State team who outrebounded Rutgers by 20, 45-25, on the night and by a 26-8 margin after halftime. “We couldn’t really get in a flow the whole game, I wasn’t comfortable the whole game, we didn’t rebound. And when you get beat on the boards like we did tonight, and you give up 22 points at the foul line, you’re not going to win games in a great league against great coaches. We have to do a better job, no doubt, and we have to be more creative with our lineups when guys are out. I’ll take the hit for this, but we’ll get better.”

His senior backcourt leader echoed the sentiment, calling this setback a learning moment, and a mere bump in the road on the way to greater heights.

“I just feel like we let up a lead, which as a veteran team, we shouldn’t be doing,” Baker revealed. “We let the lead go, and that’s on us. I think it humbled us a little bit. We obviously wanted to go undefeated, but there’s some things we’ve got to work on, and now we know that.”

“I wouldn’t say the guys are too down right now. We’re just talking about bouncing back. We really believe in each other and we have a great brotherhood. It’s really not going to be a setback. Everything’s going to stay the same.”

MAAC Monday: Monmouth’s upside, stat leaders, power rankings

Deion Hammond leads Monmouth into senior year where Hawks are prominent MAAC contenders. (Photo by Karlee Sell/Monmouth University Athletics)

MAAC Monday returns this week in a more traditional format than last week’s season debut. While stat leaders and power rankings are reprised in the second and third segments, the team spotlights take center stage in the opening once again, beginning with a team that was shut down three times before finally raising the curtain on 2020-21 this past Tuesday for its first of three games.

Picked in a third-place tie when the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s preseason coaches’ poll was revealed, the general consensus surrounding Monmouth was that of a program with returning upside despite the loss of Ray Salnave to DePaul in the offseason. With Deion Hammond, Samuel Chaput and George Papas all back in West Long Branch to join senior forwards Melik Martin and Marcus McClary, the Hawks remained a deep and talented outfit even if the most recognizable name on the roster a year ago was no longer around.

Paused three times due to positive COVID-19 tests, the last of which coming hours before its November 25 opener against Hofstra was to be played, Monmouth finally made up for lost time last week, rescheduling the Hofstra game last Tuesday before opening MAAC play Friday and Saturday against Saint Peter’s. Although coming away with a 1-2 record, the main takeaway for a team that put up 88 points in its first live action was the mounds of promise that will certainly manifest itself further as the year goes on.

“We’ve got a freshman class that’s really big-time, and we’ve got some seniors that are pretty good,” head coach King Rice said of the infusion of Myles Ruth, Klemen Vuga, Myles Foster and Jack Holmstrom to the core group of upperclassmen in the program. “I think our versatility is what’s going to make us have a chance. Jarvis (Vaughan) gives us a toughness we have not had in my ten years, Donovann (Toatley) does some things that you’re not going to believe until you see it, and together — when you implement them with the whole group — I really like our chances.”

With Hammond already regarded as a first team all-MAAC player and potential player of the year, Monmouth knew what to expect from its senior sharpshooter. Papas, even with his experience and trust from Rice and his staff, has been a revelation during this young season, a status only boosted after his 32-point explosion against Hofstra, when the former Union Catholic standout connected on nine 3-point field goal attempts to tie a school record.

George Papas has gotten off to hot start, averaging over 20 points per game for Monmouth in his senior season. (Photo by Karlee Sell/Monmouth University Athletics)

“My first three years, I’ve always felt like I wasn’t playing my best ball,” Papas admitted, attributing his offseason growth to his intense workout program in a home gym set up by his brother, Thomas, a personal trainer who oversaw the growth of George and Hammond in what came to be called The Chamber. “I worked on tough shots a lot all summer long, so I really got better. I worked on those a lot, step-back situations, I’ve been doing that for years. Now that I’m a senior, I’ve just got to keep pushing. I want this team to succeed more than myself.”

“That dude has zero fear,” acting Hofstra head coach Mike Farrelly said after Papas’ opening salvo. “I saw him in prep school in Maine, I drove 14 hours up there, and he’s just a fearless, fearless dude. Awesome shooter, unlimited range, and a terrific player.”

In two games off the bench, Toatley has posted double-figure point totals in each contest. Nobody will ever live up to the legacy of Justin Robinson in the Monmouth program, but early returns have shown Toatley to perhaps be the next successful point guard to don the Hawks’ blue and white, and the Maryland native looks to already be thriving in Rice’s uptempo system.

“Donovann’s a firecracker, man,” Hammond proclaimed, praising his former high school teammate with whom he is now reunited. “He can bring a lot to the team. He’s quick off the dribble and he can score a lot, he knows the proper positions to find guys in. He’s pretty much everything you could ask for.”

“Don is explosive,” Rice added. “He’s really good. We’ve got to get him used to playing with all our guys. He’s someone you can give the ball to and he’ll come back with a lot of points. He’s working with me, getting better, and you’re going to see great basketball from that young man.”

The last time Monmouth had this many options in its arsenal, a special two years ensued wherein the Hawks won 55 games and earned consecutive National Invitation Tournament berths. This year’s iteration may not be that far along yet, but Rice firmly believes it is on the right track.

“This is who we are,” he said. “We’re going to come after you. That’s what we’re going to do. Hopefully by the end of the season, we’ll have played enough games and we’ll have a chance. That’s what I’m hoping for.”

Scoring Leaders

1) Isaiah Ross, Iona (21.4 PPG)

T-2) Deion Hammond, Monmouth (20.3)

T-2) George Papas, Monmouth (20.3)

4) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (20.0)

5) Majesty Brandon, Canisius (18.5)

6) Dwight Murray, Rider (15.2)

7) Malek Green, Canisius (14.5)

8) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (13.6)

9) Jason Douglas-Stanley, Manhattan (12.8)

10) Elijah Buchanan, Manhattan (12.7)

Rebounding Leaders

1) Malek Green, Canisius (10.0 RPG)

2) Fousseyni Drame, Saint Peter’s (8.0)

3) Dwight Murray, Rider (7.2)

4) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (6.9)

5) Nikkei Rutty, Monmouth (6.3)

6) Dylan van Eyck, Iona (6.1)

7) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (6.0)

8) Berrick JeanLouis, Iona (5.9)

T-9) Elias King, Quinnipiac (5.8)

T-9) Jacob Rigoni, Quinnipiac (5.8)

Assist Leaders

T-1) Matthew Lee, Saint Peter’s (5.0 APG)

T-1) Dwight Murray, Rider (5.0)

3) Jacco Fritz, Canisius (4.5)

4) Savion Lewis, Quinnipiac (3.5)

5) Samuel Chaput, Monmouth (3.3)

6) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (3.3)

T-7) Jordan Henderson, Canisius (3.0)

T-7) Brendan McGuire, Quinnipiac (3.0)

T-7) Kobi Nwandu, Niagara (3.0)

10) Caleb Green, Fairfield (2.9)

Field Goal Percentage Leaders

1) Brendan McGuire, Quinnipiac (.625)

2) Melik Martin, Monmouth (.588)

3) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (.559)

4) George Papas, Monmouth (.559)

5) Berrick JeanLouis, Iona (.524)

6) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (.521)

7) Isaiah Ross, Iona (.520)

8) Majesty Brandon, Canisius (.517)

9) Christian Ings, Rider (.514)

10) Kobi Nwandu, Niagara (.511)

Free Throw Percentage Leaders

1) Nikkei Rutty, Monmouth (1.000)

2) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (.917)

T-3) Taj Benning, Fairfield (.909)

T-3) Justin Roberts, Niagara (.909)

5) Armon Harried, Canisius (.889)

6) Ricardo Wright, Marist (.852)

7) Elias King, Quinnipiac (.818)

8) Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson, Rider (.813)

9) Jalen Leach, Fairfield (.810)

10) Dwight Murray, Rider (.808)

3-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders

1) Brendan McGuire, Quinnipiac (1.000)

2) George Papas, Monmouth (.571)

3) Rodney Henderson, Rider (.484)

4) Jeremiah Pope, Rider (.467)

5) Daryl Banks III, Saint Peter’s (.465)

6) Taj Benning, Fairfield (.464)

7) Tymu Chenery, Quinnipiac (.455)

T-8) Berrick JeanLouis, Iona (.444)

T-8) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (.444)

10) Braden Bell, Marist (.438)

Steal Leaders

1) Deion Hammond, Monmouth (2.7 SPG)

2) Majesty Brandon, Canisius (2.5)

3) Berrick JeanLouis, Iona (2.4)

T-4) Elijah Buchanan, Manhattan (2.0)

T-4) Melik Martin, Monmouth (2.0)

T-4) Myles Ruth, Monmouth (2.0)

Blocked Shot Leaders

1) KC Ndefo, Saint Peter’s (3.3 BPG)

2) Seth Pinkney, Quinnipiac (3.0)

3) Elijah Buchanan, Manhattan (1.7)

T-4) Armon Harried, Canisius (1.5)

T-4) Jordan Jones, Marist (1.5)

Power Rankings

1) Saint Peter’s (5-3, 3-1 MAAC)

Last Week: 1

Last Game: Saturday 12/19 at Monmouth (W 78-76)

Next Game: Wednesday 12/23 at St. Francis Brooklyn, 2 p.m.

2) Marist (5-1, 3-1 MAAC)

Last Week: 7

Last Game: Sunday 12/20 at Manhattan (W 72-67)

Next Game: Friday 1/1 vs. Quinnipiac, 5 p.m.

3) Monmouth (1-2, 1-1 MAAC)

Last Week: 3

Last Game: Saturday 12/19 vs. Saint Peter’s (L 78-76)

Next Game: Sunday 12/27 vs. Canisius, 2 p.m.

4) Iona (4-3, 3-1 MAAC)

Last Week: 6

Last Game: Saturday 12/19 at Rider (W 72-64)

Next Game: Wednesday 12/23 vs. Coppin State, 7 p.m.

5) Siena (0-0)

Last Week: 2

First Game: Sunday 1/3 vs. Monmouth, 3 p.m.

6) Niagara (2-3, 2-2 MAAC)

Last Week: 11

Last Game: Saturday 12/19 vs. Fairfield (W 81-61)

Next Game: Tuesday 12/22 vs. Albany, 3 p.m.

7) Quinnipiac (2-2)

Last Week: 8

Last Game: Sunday 12/6 vs. New Hampshire (W 64-58)

Next Game: Friday 1/1 at Marist, 5 p.m.

8) Canisius (1-1, 1-1 MAAC)

Last Week: 9

Last Game: Saturday 12/12 vs. Marist (W 56-52)

Next Game: Sunday 12/27 at Monmouth, 2 p.m.

9) Rider (1-5, 1-3 MAAC)

Last Week: 5

Last Game: Saturday 12/19 vs. Iona (L 72-64)

Next Game: Wednesday 12/23 vs. NJIT, 2 p.m.

10) Manhattan (1-3, 1-3 MAAC)

Last Week: 4

Last Game: Sunday 12/20 vs. Marist (L 72-67)

Next Game: Friday 1/15 at Canisius, 7 p.m.

11) Fairfield (1-7, 1-3 MAAC)

Last Week: 10

Last Game: Saturday 12/19 at Niagara (L 81-61)

Next Game: Tuesday 12/22 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson, 3 p.m.

5 Takeaways: St. John’s picks up first Big East win over Georgetown

By Anthony E. Parelli (@reportedbytheAP)

Exhale.

 

After blowing a second-half lead a week ago to Georgetown, St. John’s was able to atone Sunday, downing the Hoyas, 94-83, to pick up its first conference win of the season.

 

An atypical hot start from beyond the arc – hitting four of its first five 3-point attempts – put St. John’s up by double digits midway through the first half. The lead eventually ballooned to 16, but an 8-0 Georgetown run cut the gap to 49-41 at the intermission.

 

Like a week ago, the Red Storm (6-4, 1-3 Big East) stumbled, missing nine straight shots and allowing the Hoyas to chip the lead all the way down to two. Unlike a week ago however, St. John’s remained poised and regathered control, eventually leading by as much as 19 late.

 

Imposing his Will

Greg Williams Jr. has, by all measures, had himself a nice season up to this point. Sunday, however, is what St. John’s is hoping for game in and game out from the junior. 

 

Williams was assertive and decisive, leading the Johnnies with a career-best 26 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. In an offense full of streaky scorers, St. John’s would benefit greatly if Williams can be that consistent second option to Julian Champagnie.

 

Big difference

After Georgetown center Qudus Wahab almost notched a triple-double against the Johnnies last Sunday, they did a much better job contending with the 6-foot-11 sophomore this time around. Wahab finished with 12 points, six rebounds and only two blocks, a far cry from the nine he had a week ago. The Red Storm were more inclined to drive at the body of Wahab, getting him into foul trouble early in the second half. He would eventually foul out late after being forced to sit with four fouls while St. John’s pulled away.

 

On the other side, the bigs of the Red Storm made their presence felt in a big way. Arnaldo Toro earned the start after his strong recent play and while he didn’t flash in a big way on the score sheet (one point, five rebounds, three assists), he more than held his own down low. His best moment came with 7:30 left in the first half and Georgetown making a run. He grabbed back-to-back offensive rebounds on one possession, eventually finding Marcellus Earlington for a 3-pointer to stop the bleeding.

 

Isaih Moore also had a strong night for St. John’s, coming off the bench to score 12 on a tidy 5-of-7 shooting. His athleticism was a huge edge for the Red Storm in the second half.

 

Quick learner

After costly turnovers doomed St. John’s in the teams’ first meeting, freshman Posh Alexander seemed singularly determined not to let those mistakes reoccur. The point guard was smarter with the ball and used his toughness to score at the rim. Alexander has been impressive all year, but seeing him take over when Georgetown was on the precipice of tying the game may be his best work yet.

 

Balancing act

Like Creighton did earlier in the week, St. John’s was able to hurt Georgetown in a variety of ways from a plethora of scorers. All told, the Red Storm finished with five players in double digits as Champagnie continued his prolific year with 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists and Vince Cole poured in 17 in addition to Williams’ 26, Moore’s 12 and Alexander’s 10.

 

Back to basics

Defense is supposed to be St. John’s and coach Mike Anderson’s calling card, but it’s been the Red Storm’s biggest weakness to date. Sunday was much better, holding the Hoyas to 43.5 percent shooting and 38.5 percent from deep. 

 

If the Red Storm is going to climb out of the hole it has dug itself, it has to start on the defensive end.

 

Next up

St. John’s was originally scheduled to face No. 7 Villanova on Dec. 30, but the two teams elected to postpone the contest in favor of a break for their players. St. John’s has 12 days to lick its wounds and figure out how to build off Sunday’s win on Jan. 2 against DePaul – who has yet to play a game this year due to COVID-19.

5 Thoughts: Custer streak ends, Pirates fall to Providence in OT

Sandro Mamukelashvili’s 20 points were not enough as Seton Hall lost to Providence Sunday. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

Add another one of the great joys in life that the scourge that is the Year of Our Lord, 2020 has claimed.

Seton Hall's win streak with Brian Custer on the call for Fox Sports, a 26-0 can't-make-this-stuff-up run, has come to an end, as A.J. Reeves' 3-pointer with three seconds left in overtime gave Providence an 80-77 victory over Seton Hall Sunday.

There's a ton to get into, so let's roll with it.

1. That's A Travel, Dudes

With the score tied 77-all and just seconds remaining in the extra session, Friars star David Duke, who had burned the Pirates down the stretch, drove the baseline. Seton Hall's defense swarmed him, and Duke slid his back foot when stopping his momentum and looking for a teammate.

Except the baseline referee, Jamie Luckie, who was (on replay) looking right at the play, stayed silent. Duke ended up finding Reeves in the corner, and he sunk the wide-open, game-winning 3-pointer. On the list of ways to lose a game, this contest certainly ranks up there with the brutal ones.

"During the game, obviously we thought it was a travel," Myles Cale said afterwards. "But we have to blame ourselves on that loss. We were up, we let them come back. He made a good pass, and Reeves made a good shot."

Now, as Cale alluded to, there are plenty of reasons why Seton Hall lost this game that are not a flat-out missed call by an official, and a veteran one at that, which I'll get into. First, though, the Pirates were down late in regulation, and were able to come back and force OT. How did they do it?

2. Mamu Jekyll

Sandro Mamukelashvili has looked at times unstoppable this season, showing off all of the ball skills, vision, and shot-making ability that makes him such a tantalizing pro prospect. 

Tonight, when the Pirates needed him late in the game, he was able to come through. Mamu converted two conventional three-point plays down the stretch, and one more in overtime, to help the Pirates erase a deficit. The latter two of those tied the game, including a drawn-up play to end regulation that saw him get up to full speed going towards the basket. Despite a slow start, Mamukelashvili finished with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.

"My game was not good," he said after the game about the play at the end of regulation. "But even so, Coach (Willard) trusted me to go in there, and my teammates trusted me, so I felt like I needed to get that basket. I appreciated Coach trusting me and giving me the opportunity at the last second."

In order to be successful in the Big East in big spots, the stars have to be stars when it counts, and Mamu was one when it counted late in this game. Still, though...

3. Mamu Hyde

Mamu admitted himself that his game was off today, and before his late flurry of activity he was 3-for-13 from the field and 5-for-9 at the free throw line. Part of that was Providence working their tails off to deny him the basketball, which is no easy task.

But another part was alluded to by both player and coach in the postgame press conference, getting involved in the offense earlier in the game in terms of scoring. 

"He's got to understand that he's got a target on his back," head coach Kevin Willard said. "When you get 20-25 points a game, you're going to be the guy to stop, so he's got to come out and be a little more aggressive, I think, early in games. He's working hard, but he's coming out a little bit too casual early in games and I think he has to understand that guys are going to be really on him... they're going to want to go at him, try to stop him, and he has to understand that part of getting the basketball as often as he's getting it, I think he's got to be ready a little earlier."

Mamu gets praise for not just his scoring, but also his passing ability, which was very good early in this game, particularly because Myles Cale, Jared Rhoden, etc. were knocking down their shots. 

The big guy was just off today. A lot of his misses were shots he usually can make, and the misses at the free throw line proved costly, as the Pirates missed five as a team, with Mamu accounting for four of those.

4. The Turning Point

The reason that Seton Hall and Providence play each other to such close games all the time is that both teams' identities are never to give in. Ed Cooley's bunch never lays down for anyone, a testament to him and what he's built the Friars into over the years. With a team like that, especially in conference play, if you have a chance to run up a good lead, you'd better do it.

Seton Hall had its chance in the second half. The Pirates expanded a two-point halftime lead out to nine, at 49-40 with about 16 minutes left, and then got a whopping four chances on their next possession to push it into double figures, with three solid looks from three-point land for Mamukelashvili, Cale (who was 4-for-4 from deep at that point), and Shavar Reynolds. They came up empty on those, and also on a putback layup by Ike Obiagu.

What happened next was a 12-2 run by Providence to take the lead away from the Pirates, who never led the rest of the way, including in the overtime session. It wasn't for lack of effort, but those are shots in that situation that have to be hit, and coming up with no points on four shots on the same possession ended up turning the tide.

5. Elementary, My Dear Watson

During the game, I tweeted out that the Pirates would not miss Nate Watson when he graduated, as I seemed to recall that he always gave the Pirates a hard time. Well, I went back to the box scores of years past, and that actually was not the case. He had only reached double figures in scoring once against the Pirates in six previous games.

But I always thought that he had potential just watching him play over the last few years, and tonight, his 23 points and 11 rebounds on 10-of-16 shooting were the reason the Friars walked out of Newark with a victory. The Pirates struggled to get stops in this game, and in the second half in particular, the main reason was Watson being a beast inside. It's not often that a team with as much size as Seton Hall struggles with an opposing post player, so for now, kudos to the big guy.

Kevin Willard quote book: Providence

On Providence's second-half comeback:

“I’d have to go back and watch film on it, to be honest with you. I can’t answer that question without going back and watching the film. I thought we had some good opportunities early in the second half, we had a couple of open looks when we were up nine. Again, give them credit. You know Eddie’s team is going to come back, and Nate Watson was just a load to handle.”

On Providence’s game-winning possession and a potential no-call as David Duke appeared to travel:

“I haven’t seen the play yet, so I couldn’t really see what was going on. There was like, four guys around him, and probably one reason why A.J. (Reeves) was so wide open. I didn’t see the play, but again, we didn’t play with the same defensive intensity we had played with for the last couple of games, so you can’t let it come down to one play. I thought we had opportunities where if we defended a little bit better, we could have been in a better position.”

On Sandro Mamukelashvili’s two 3-point plays down the stretch:

“There was 15 seconds left, so we just tried to get something quick in going downhill. We just ran one of our set specials, and the last one in overtime with 3.3 seconds, you’re going to try to get the best shot possible, and I thought Sandro did a good job and Tak really ran the floor to get in position.”

On Bryce Aiken and Tray Jackson:

“With Bryce, it’s more about patience and just trying to get him reps. We’ve got to get him reps and we haven’t had a ton of time to get practice at this time of year, so his brain’s trying to tell him to do something that his body hasn’t done yet, or hasn’t been able to do in a while. So I’m just trying to get him some more reps in practice, and then with Tray, it’s a tough situation because you go from thinking you’re not going to have him, and then all of a sudden they pass it, trying to get him in with the right guys. I’ve got to figure out who I can play Tray and best utilize Tray, so that’s going to be a work in progress.”

On Myles Cale:

“His effort was phenomenal, he gave great effort. That’s just more on me trying to get him involved a little bit. We got a little stagnant in the second half, and that’s not his fault, that’s more my fault.”

On Jared Rhoden’s 3-point attempt in overtime:

“We tried to run a double high pick-and-roll, tried to draw Ikey and draw the weak-side guy, and Shavar hit Jared. I’d like to get something going to the basket on that, no matter who it is. I don’t like settling for a three in that instance, so I thought we executed okay, we just didn’t make the right play.”

On Aiken in the second half:

“We’re trying to keep him warm. Again, he’s had multiple surgeries and if you’ve ever had surgery on your knee, warming up and playing and then getting cold, your knee gums up. We’re going to try different things and bikes to keep his body moving a little bit, just so that knee doesn’t get stiff.”

On Mamukelashvili’s second-half effort:

“I think he’s got to understand he’s got a target on his back. When you hit 20–25 points a game, you’re going to be the guy who’s stopped, so he’s got to come out and be a little bit more aggressive, I think, early in games. He’s working hard, but I just think he’s coming out a little bit too casual early in games, and I think he just has to understand guys are going to be really on him. Guys are going to want to go at him, guys are going to try to stop him, and he just has to understand that that’s part of now getting the basketball as much as he’s getting, he’s just got to be ready a little bit earlier.”

Rutgers outslugs Illinois in clash of heavyweights, now 6-0

 

Ron Harper, Jr.’s 28 points led Rutgers from down 11 to victory over Illinois. (Photo by Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics)

At this rate, it almost sounds like a broken record.

Nevertheless, Rutgers just does something new every game, something more befitting than its last effort, to leave a stronger, longer-lasting impression than that which came before it. Sunday was no different.

Entertaining 13th-ranked Illinois in a clash of Big Ten powers that would have been unlikely years ago, the 19th-ranked Scarlet Knights looked far from convincing in the first half, spotting the visiting Illini an 11-point lead 12 minutes into the proceedings at the RAC. Then, after Myles Johnson entered the game, Rutgers kicked into overdrive.

Johnson’s defense against Kofi Cockburn — who still tallied 17 points and 12 rebounds — was instrumental in the Scarlet Knights holding their own and gradually chipping away. In fact, the senior forward’s putback on a missed Jacob Young dunk late in the first half helped save Rutgers’ momentum, a crucial preservation that revealed itself with each Young penetration, Montez Mathis clutch shot and Ron Harper, Jr. dagger on the way to a 91-88 victory that was telling in more ways than one.

Exactly how, you ask?

“I think we showed the nation that we don’t have any quit in us,” Harper said as his 28 points led the way for the Scarlet Knights, now 6-0 and 2-0 in Big Ten play heading into a showdown with Ohio State Wednesday in Columbus. “When adversity hits, we gotta stay together, and that’s exactly what this team does.”

“When we were down 11, we could have just laid down on our backs and just gave up. But we didn’t. We kept fighting. We stayed together, and we showed everybody we’re a bunch of fighters.”

Trailing 26-15 with just over eight minutes left before halftime, Rutgers was down only four at the intermission. Following a seesaw battle through the first several minutes out of the break, a Harper dunk that would have blown the roof off the RAC if fans were in attendance kick-started a 16-3 run that put the hosts up 12 with 6:53 remaining on the clock. Illinois would remain within earshot, but the lead never changed hands the rest of the way as the Scarlet Knights fed off their own energy to fend off Cockburn and Ayo Dosunmu’s potent one-two punch.

“They bring great energy to us, and we’ve got to bring it ourselves,” Steve Pikiell said of his team’s tendency to be a unit of self-starters. “I’m thankful we have more of a veteran team than we’ve had in the past, because they’re motivated to play basketball, but those guys give us great energy and we need that.”

No further was that evident than in Paul Mulcahy. The sophomore guard was fearless and unfazed throughout the afternoon, unafraid to take on Cockburn despite a six-inch mismatch. Twice, Mulcahy denied the seven-footer with help defense and unbridled energy, hustling all over the floor to keep Rutgers on track and take the wind out of the sails of the Illini, the most notable occurrence of that happening on a free throw attempt, boxing out Da’Monte Williams and drawing a flagrant foul.

Paul Mulcahy’s defense on Kofi Cockburn was huge in Rutgers’ win over Illinois. (Photo by Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics)

“Shoutout to Paul Mulcahy,” Young gushed. “That boy’s a dog.”

“Paul does a lot of winning things, as you see,” Pikiell echoed. “He rebounds, he gets assists, he draws some tough defensive assignments, he’s a really good rotation guy. He gives us some direction, too, at times. Sometimes those areas don’t show up in the box score, but he’s tough and he does winning things, and you saw that today.”

Rutgers as a whole has done almost everything right this season, not allowing for any dropoff after the scintillating February and March that inspired big dreams on the banks of the old Raritan. A question entering the year was how the Scarlet Knights would handle legitimate expectations, and six games into an unprecedented season, the answer is that nothing has changed. The team simply built on what it did last year and betters it in every way possible.

“It’s what we’ve been working on since day one, trying to make this thing happen,” Young declared. “We’re just living in the moment right now.”

“We expect to be here,” Harper reaffirmed. “We hold ourselves to a high standard, and we practice at a high standard. We talk about 1-0 every day, and we’re going to keep going 1-0 every day. Every time we step between those lines, we expect to get a win. We have a dog mentality, a pack mentality, and we’re going to attack you every time we get between those lines.”

Dunne, Marist making most of learning experience as 2020 draws to a close

John Dunne and Marist stand 4-1 and forwardly placed through first two weeks of MAAC play. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW YORK — With all the upside-down insanity 2020 has wrought over the past nine months, the well-traveled Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference fan could take a look at the league standings, see Marist at 4-1 on the year, and concur that it stands to reason the Red Foxes would be in their current position.

After all, for all the unpredictability in the world today, one constant remains: John Dunne stifling opposing teams and taking them out of their element.

Such was the case Saturday, when a Dunne-led Marist team came into Draddy Gymnasium and held Manhattan to just 29 percent shooting and only a pair of 3-point field goals on the day, conceding a mere 16 points in the second half on the way to a 61-39 victory that epitomized the concept of a John Dunne special.

“We just knew if we didn’t turn it over, we’d have a good opportunity with their playmaking to get some clean makes,” Dunne reflected after Marist furthered its best start to a season since the 2001-02 campaign — when Dave Magarity still patrolled the sidelines in Poughkeepsie — and surrendered its lowest point total to an opponent since Vanderbilt mustered just 33 markers against the Red Foxes in 2013. “I’m just proud of them. We knew, win or lose, that this was going to be a learning experience for our backcourt, and that’s kind of how we went into the weekend.”

Far too often in and around the MAAC, Dunne’s savvy in the player development field gets overlooked, leading he and his staff to ultimately prove the naysayers wrong on a seemingly annual basis. This season, with freshmen Hakim Byrd and Ricardo Wright taking turns running the offense, Marist has perhaps its steadiest hand at the point guard spot since Khallid Hart graduated in 2017, with the duo’s combined 32 points and seven assists against Manhattan’s matchup zone and pressure defense serving as an encouraging harbinger of things to come considering Michael Cubbage is likely out for the remainder of the season with a broken foot.

“I think we have three talented guys back there, and they’re all going to split the minutes in the backcourt,” Dunne intimated, also including junior Raheim Sullivan in the conversation. “They just want to win, and Hak Byrd’s just playing at a really nice level for a freshman. They understand it might not be their night finishing, but another night might, and I think they’re buying into that. Obviously without Cubbage, those three are going to play a lot of minutes during the course of the year.”

This entire season will need to be navigated on the fly more often than not, and Marist has already taken steps to prepare for an endgame better than some other schools in similar predicaments. Unable to access the facilities in McCann Arena after the program paused in November, Dunne had the foresight to schedule a home-and-home series with Binghamton on consecutive days to better condition the Red Foxes for the back-to-back contests presented within the MAAC schedule. Having won both tuneups before splitting the two games against Canisius, and now one game to the good on Manhattan, the information gleaned from this unusual gauntlet has been more positive than negative.

“You could talk all you want about it, but until they’re going through it, I’m not sure they quite believe it,” Dunne said of the challenges presented by the schedule. “They just have to go through it. We came in basically saying, win or lose, this was going to be a great learning experience for our guys.”

“We know we’re not the finished product or where we want to be in five, six weeks, but we certainly like our potential.”

5 Takeaways: St. John’s dominated by Creighton in third straight loss

By Anthony E. Parelli (@reportedbytheAP)

It’s getting late early in Queens.

 

St. John’s was outplayed, outclassed and outcoached on its home floor Thursday, falling to Creighton, 94-76, to drop to 0-3 in Big East play.

 

The beatdown started early for Creighton, which was clearly out to avenge its 89-84 loss to Marquette on Monday. The Bluejays jumped out to an 11-2 lead that eventually ballooned to a 16-point margin midway through the first half.

 

The Red Storm somehow scratched and clawed their way back, cutting the deficit to just three with three minutes left in the opening stanza. A seven-point Creighton lead at halftime was again slashed by the Johnnies, this time to two points early in the second half. With the ball and a chance to tie or take the lead, Marcellus Earlington was called for a travel and Creighton never looked back, leading by as much as 22 in the contest.

 

Creighton is everything St. John’s wishes it was. The Bluejays can run, they can defend, they can score (56.7 percent shooting from the field), they can shoot from deep (13 made 3-point field goals), they have depth (five players in double figures), and they do it year in and year out.

 

Oh, and they can rebound. After getting dominated on the glass, 42-27, by Marquette, Creighton finished with a 44-26 advantage over St. John’s, including 10 offensive boards.

 

Here are my takeaways from the loss:

 

The model of consistency

This isn’t exactly breaking news, but Greg McDermott can flat-out coach. Since taking over the Bluejays in 2010, he’s surpassed 20 wins in all but one season. Creighton plays fast, but organized; and almost always finds the best shot on offense, hitting open looks and playing with poise regardless of the situation. Maybe St. John’s will get there under Mike Anderson, but for now all it can do is watch in wonder.

 

Another nightmare

It seems every team in the Big East has some generational talent that must cost Anderson a lot of sleepless nights. Outside of Big East Preseason Player of the Year Marcus Zegarowski (20 points), it had to be disheartening to watch freshman center Ryan Kalkbrenner dominate the Johnnies down low. 

 

The 7-footer has a full arsenal of post moves and already plays with the poise of a veteran. His future is both bright and terrifying for the Bluejays.

 

Draw it up

The word is out around the league about Julian Champagnie, and coaches are now clearly game planning to stop him. The sophomore still led the Johnnies with 17 points, but 15 came from beyond the arc with Creighton determined to keep him away from the basket. The onus now falls on Anderson and the rest of the St. John’s coaching staff to figure out how to manufacture more looks for Champagnie.

 

Faint silver lining

Grad transfer Arnaldo Toro provided a nice spark off the bench in the first half. As St. John’s was making its run, it was Toro’s defensive presence that helped make the difference. Toro won’t often flash on the stat sheet, but he’s a solid contributor in the right rotation.

 

More questions

When things are going bad – and they’re going very bad – it’s easy to nit-pick seemingly minor moves, but once again Anderson’s rotational decisions became magnified. For the majority of the game, Anderson went with the shortest bench he has to this point in the season, eventually subbing in Josh Roberts and David Caraher with a few minutes left and the game out of hand.

 

Roberts, who didn’t see the floor in Sunday’s overtime loss to Georgetown, looked pretty much as he has through his St. John’s career. The junior was energetic and active around the rim in his limited time. Obviously, he isn’t some magic cure to the ailing Red Storm, but he deserves to show if he can provide a spark in meaningful minutes.

 

Next up

In full desperation mode, St. John’s will stay at Carnesecca Arena to take on Georgetown at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, looking to exact some revenge from last Sunday’s 97-94 overtime loss at the hands of the Hoyas. The keys to the game are simple: Play some defense and don’t let center Qudus Wahab (17 points, 10 rebounds, nine blocks last Sunday) get a triple-double.