5 Takeaways: St. John’s bounces back with comeback win over Providence

By Anthony E. Parelli (@reportedbytheAP)

 

No Posh, no problem.

 

For one night at least, as St. John’s was able to rally in Posh Alexander’s absence to erase an 11-point halftime deficit and down Providence, 81-67, at home Wednesday night. The win was the 500th for the Red Storm at Carnesecca Arena and the first time in six years that the Johnnies have swept the season series from the Friars. 

 

Things looked bleak early however, as an early 12-1 Providence run prompted a timeout from St. John’s coach Mike Anderson with 13 minutes left and his Red Storm down, 16-8. The Johnnies went five minutes without a basket during that Friar run, and midway through the half had five turnovers and only four made field goals.

 

St. John’s would find a little rhythm late, however, turning a 10-point deficit into a tie at 28, but Providence would score the next 10 points and eventually take a 41-30 lead into the break. Then the switch flipped, and suddenly, St. John’s looked less like the team that dropped three of its last four games and more like the one that won six games in a row before that.

 

It took eight minutes for the Red Storm to completely erase the halftime deficit, as a Dunn steal and layup tied the game at 51. Dunn went coast-to-coast on the very next possession, giving St. John’s a two-point lead. 

 

Nate Watson tied the game at 60 for Providence with 6:30 left, but the Friars went four minutes without a point as Dunn and St. John’s closed the game on a 21-7 run.

 

My takeaways from the win:

 

Needed to be Dunn

With Big East Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Posh Alexander out nursing a thumb injury he suffered in St. John’s last game against Villanova, the Red Storm desperately needed Dunn to be on top of his game. The fifth-year senior answered the bell and then some.

Dunn scored a season-high 21 points, ran the offense to near perfection in the second half and absolutely dominated down the stretch. The guard has caught a lot of flak for his inconsistent play of late, but was the best player on the floor Wednesday.

 

Healthy steps

Only Greg Williams, Jr. knows how healthy his back truly is on any given day, but the junior sure looked in good kilter Wednesday, starting in place of Alexander and finishing with 15 points while showing his trademark athleticism on both ends of the floor.

 

As St. John’s was making its push to tie in the second half, Williams enjoyed a stretch that included a blocked shot, followed by a thunderous dunk and corner 3-pointer on the next possession to bring the Red Storm within two.

 

Mixed bag inside

The bad news is that St. John’s still doesn’t have a clear answer to combat offensively skilled big men like Providence’s Nate Watson. The senior center scored 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting and recorded three blocks in the contest.

 

The good news is that, after a slow offensive start, the Johnnies started forcing the issue inside, yielding impressive results. On the glass, St. John’s cleaned up, outrebounding Providence, 43-33 overall and 13-10 offensively. 

 

Difference maker

Junior college transfer Isaih Moore has gotten better and better as the season has worn on. Moore had 10 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Red Storm, and was a plus-26 on the day. When Moore plays within himself, his athleticism and intensity are bona fide weapons for the Johnnies. 

 

Model of consistency 

Julian Champagnie is so good that his effort Wednesday – 16 points and 10 rebounds – can fly under the radar. But with those totals, the sophomore has scored at least 12 points in every game he’s played this season, the only player in the country to do so. 

 

Next up

St. John’s hosts Seton Hall Saturday at 7 p.m. hoping to clinch the No. 5 seed and a bye in the Big East Tournament. The Pirates downed the Red Storm, 77-68, in the conference opener back on December 11, but are reeling, having dropped their last three contests.