With no timeouts for the final nine minutes, the heavy rotation seemed late on the gas
Fatigue overcomes a key St. John’s turnover late and St. John’s loses a game to Boston College, 86-80.
The Red Storm got to play in the second of their three major arenas in the New York City area at Barclays Center, having already played once at Madison Square Garden against Michigan and are scheduled to play Hofstra at UBS Arena on Dec. 30. For a team that calls itself New York’s, it’s great to see them back at Barclays for the first time since the 2022 Empire Classic.
Boston College also honored their time in New York City by wearing “For Wales” T-shirts, in honor of Wales Crowther, the volunteer firefighter who died as a result of the September 11 attacks.
In the first half, neither team played half as good basketball. Both teams were quiet at the rim, both teams made too many mental errors, and neither team looked ready for Sunday’s game.
Chris Ledlum led the Johnnies in scoring, despite his continued struggles at the rim. Leadlum missed his first three layup attempts before the less than 16-minute media timeout expired, and the timeout appeared to begin with coach Rick Pitino aggressively positioning Leadlum for the performance. Ledlum finished the half with 12 points (6-13 FG, 0-2 3FG), 5 rebounds and 1 assist. Harvard’s transition woes at the rim improved as the half went on, and he finished the half shooting 6-of-11 from the bucket.
The only guy on the floor who seemed ready to play was Kansas transfer Zuby Ejiofor. The sophomore wing was physical and present on every possession. While Ejiofor only finished with 4 points (1-1 FG) and 1 rebound in 4 minutes, his presence and effort helped set the tone for the rest of the half.
The Red Storm struggled to contain Boston College senior Quentin Post. Aptly named, Post scored 13 points (6-9 FG, 1-1 3FG) and grabbed 4 rebounds.
Despite sleepwalking through long stretches of the first half, St. John’s stayed in it at the half, trailing Boston College 38-36.
The Johnnies turned up the intensity in the second half. The first four minutes of the half witnessed many friendly interactions between Joel Soriano and Quentin Post, with the referees having to intervene on more than one occasion.
The Red Storm weren’t just electric in the half, they converted that energy into points. About 5 minutes into the first half, St. John’s went on a 14-0 run to give the Johnnies a double-digit lead. Of those 14 points in the round, Soriano scored 8 of them. Soriano finished the half with 14 points (5-7 FG) and 4 rebounds.
Of course, no one expected the Eagles to leave. Boston College responded with an 8-0 run, and the contest reverted to being a one-possession game.
St. John’s University had to call a few timeouts when Boston College was on the run, and had to call another timeout to avoid a Danis Jenkins turnover. Consequently, the Red Storm’s time limit expired with over 9 minutes to play. The Johnnies made the most of that early final timeout, by going on a 10-0 run once again.
The Johnnies looked tired after their run, and Boston College once again came out on top. The Red Storm bench played just 39 minutes, of which Nahiem Alleyne played 23 minutes. Boston College’s bench played 66 minutes, and the starters looked fresher. Also as expected with the time differential played, Boston College’s bench outscored St. John’s 32-13.
The Red Storm’s execution suffered down the stretch as a result of fatigue caused by the heavy allotment of minutes and early use of timeouts. Ledlum fouled Claudelle Harris Jr. while shooting a three, and Jordan Dingle hit a late volley for a three, all symptoms of fatigue. Harris made all three of his free throws, and the Johnnies didn’t have another run to answer.
Without another run in it, St. John’s falls to Boston College, 86-80.
St. John’s Red Storm
Joel Soriano: 21 points (8-12 FG 1-1 3 FG), 11 rebounds, 1 assist.
Chris Leadlum: 16 points (8-19 FG 0-2 3FG), 11 rebounds, 3 assists.
Danis Jenkins: 10 points (5-13 FG 0-4 3 FG), 3 rebounds, 8 assists
Boston College Eagles
Quentin Post: 14 points (6-11 FG 1-1 3 FG), 11 rebounds, 9 assists.
Claudel Harris Jr.: 14 points (4-9 FG 2-5 3FG), 2 rebounds, 4 assists.
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The St. John’s basketball team suffered a tough loss against Boston College, falling 86-80 after faltering in the final minutes of the game. Despite a strong performance for much of the contest, St. John’s was unable to hold onto the lead as Boston College surged ahead in the closing moments. The defeat serves as a setback for St. John’s, but the team will look to regroup and bounce back in their next outing.