St. John’s had all the momentum. Its Big East Freshman of the Year, Posh Alexander, was back. It was coming off a thorough victory over Seton Hall.
It didn’t matter.
The Pirates had experience — and the best player on floor — on their side. Until further notice, they remain in control of this local rivalry and still are in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament at-large berth as a result.
Seton Hall, in search of a fifth straight trip to the tournament, controlled overtime and moved into the Big East semifinals with a gritty 77-69 victory at the Garden, ending St. John’s long-shot hopes of going dancing. The Hall will meet No. 8 Georgetown, a 72-71 upset winner over No. 1 Villanova, Friday at 6 p.m.
“If you look at what took place in the game, who are the guys who stepped up for them? Guys who have been in this tournament for many, many years,” St. John’s coach Mike Anderson said.
Seton Hall senior Sandro Mamukelashvili had 20 points and 11 rebounds, fellow senior Myles Cale notched 16 points and eight rebounds, and junior Jared Rhoden added 19 points and 16 rebounds, while St. John’s young stars struggled. Julian Champagnie, the Big East’s leading scorer, shot just 7 of 21 from the field and didn’t score over the final 20:25 of the game. Alexander’s impact was minimal in a six-point performance. In what could be his final game, senior Rasheem Dunn had 15 points and three assists.
The Pirates (14-12) looked nothing like the team that ended the regular season losing four straight games. They played with poise, precision and intensity at both ends of the floor. Everything was difficult for St. John’s (16-11), which shot just 32 percent from the field and made only 6 of 25 3-point attempts. Ike Obiagu wreaked havoc in the paint, blocking seven shots, and added seven points and five rebounds.
“Obviously we know that the tournament was at stake, but we were just trying to play possession by possession,” Rhoden said. “That’s kind of what we’ve been preaching in practice. Taking small steps.”
Even after Mamukelashvili missed two chances to win at the end of regulation, Seton Hall didn’t flinch. It quickly built a six-point edge in overtime by working the ball into the paint and getting to the free-throw line. St. John’s trimmed the deficit to four and had two chances to get closer, but Champagnie and Dylan Addae-Wusu both missed badly. That was the story of the frustrating afternoon. In the extra session, the Johnnies were 2 of 7 from the field and missed two free throws.
“The shots that we’ve been making all year — we had good looks, open 3s, pull-ups — but it wasn’t just falling,” Dunn said.
Even when St. John’s got stops, when it moved the ball well, when it pushed pace, the ball wouldn’t fall. Alexander was rusty after missing the last two games with a sprained right thumb. Champagnie’s 14 missed shots were his most in a game this season. It didn’t help that forward Isiah Moore, the team’s best finisher in the paint, was unavailable after he was contact-traced, the result of a positive COVID-19 test by a member of St. John’s support staff.
St. John’s season may not be over. It could land a spot in the NIT, and Anderson believes that would be beneficial to his young team. Seton Hall has bigger aspirations. Two more wins and the Pirates don’t even have to think about the NCAA Tournament bubble.
“This is March,” Mamukelashvili said. “It doesn’t matter what happened before. It’s like starting with a clean slate.”
