Published: February 15, 2007
QUEENS, N.Y.
Freshman forward Qa’rraan Calhoun and junior captain Eugene
Lawrence each scored 13 points and made key free throws down the
stretch as St. John’s posted a gritty 60-55 victory over Rutgers,
before a frenzied crowd of 5,503 at Carnesecca Arena. Junior
sharpshooter Avery Patterson scored all 11 of his points in the
second half, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 50 seconds to
play and a layup with 17 seconds remaining, to seal the victory and
inch St. John’s one step closer to its first BIG EAST Tournament
appearance since 2003.
With the win, St. John’s moves to 15-11 and 6-7 in the BIG EAST.
With three conference games to play and one non-league game against
Duke, the victory pulled the Red Storm closer to a league
championship tournament appearance and the possibility of an
extended postseason. Rutgers falls to 10-6 and 3-10 in conference
play.
Calhoun, a rookie in the post, edged elder statesman Lamont
Hamilton only slightly on the stat sheet, but it was the senior
that refused to lose his final regular-season game in Queens.
Exemplifying the Red Storm’s determination was Hamilton, whose
11-point, six-rebound performance included a tough putback layup
with bodies flying all around him at the 1:41 mark.
“I am proud of my team for making the plays we needed to down
the stretch,” said St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts. “Monty
[Hamilton] made them inside, Qa’rraan [Calhoun] made free throws
and putbacks, and Eugene [Lawrence] stayed steady throughout the
whole game. We were able to get Avery [Patterson] the ball at the
right times, and he was able to get some open shots.”
It was rough-going for both teams in the first period, which
ended tied at 21. Neither squad was able to establish a scoring
rhythm, with the Red Storm shooting 28.6 percent from the field and
Rutgers not much better at 36.0. St. John’s got out to a 3-0 lead
on a long-distance shot by Anthony Mason Jr. and led by as many as
six on two occasions in the first half, but could not pull away. A
short jumper in the paint by Scarlet Knight junior Ollie Bailey
tied the contest with just over a minute to play in the opening
stanza.
The teams traded baskets to open a faster-paced second half, but
neither squad could gain the final advantage until the game’s final
minute, when Patterson’s final 3-pointer broke the eighth tie of
the ballgame.
St. John’s second-half advantage was due in no small part to its
persistence on the glass. The Red Storm gained a plus-five
advantage on the boards in the second period and grabbed seven
second-half offensive rebounds. St. John’s final rebounding
advantage was 31-28, and the Red Storm is 11-1 on the season when
outrebounding its opponents.
St. John’s has a quick turnaround before its next contest,
hitting the road on Saturday to face BIG EAST foe Providence. The
game will air live on FOX Sports New York, with tip-off from the
Friars’ Dunkin’ Donuts Center scheduled for noon.