St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
7-13, 0-7BE
Marquette
13-7, 3-5BE
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette | 31 | 47 | 78 |
| St. John's | 23 | 50 | 73 |
St. John's Second Half Rally Falls Short
1/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's furious second half rally back from a 20-point deficit fell short as the Red Storm dropped a 78-73 decision to Marquette (13-7, 3-5) on Sunday in Queens. Freshman guard Federico Mussini (Reggio Emilia, Italy) led the St. John's comeback effort, scoring all 19 points in the second half. Marquette freshman Henry Ellenson went for a double-double, finishing with 16 points and 18 rebounds to help the Golden Eagles snap a three game skid.
Durand Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) drained back-to-back 3-pointers to get St. John's (7-13, 0-7) within three with 41 seconds remaining. St. John's defense came up with a stop on the ensuing possession creating an opportunity for the Red Storm to tie the game. Mussini raced the ball up court with no timeouts remaining, but he short rimmed a hurried look from distance. Ellenson sank a pair of free-throws with one tick on the clock to seal the win.
Mussini drained three 3-pointers in the second half for his fifth-straight double-figure scoring performance. Johnson torched the net for 11 of his game-high 20 points in the second half. The graduate transfer brought energy off the Red Storm bench, collecting six rebounds, three assists and a game-high three steals.
"I was proud of the way they played in the second half," said St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin. "It just shows if you play with energy and just lay it out there, good things can happen.
"They understand that they're close. They're working hard. They do the right things to succeed, but the process is the process and you have to honor that."
St. John's watched its eight-point halftime deficit expand to 20 less than four minutes into the second half. Luke Fischer sank a jumper at the 16:14 mark to put the Golden Eagles ahead, 46-26.
Freshman Malik Ellison (Voorhees, N.J.) anchored a 7-0 run with a jumper and tip-in bookending Mussini's first 3-pointer to cut into Marquette's advantage. Ellison also did all his scoring in the final 20 minutes. He finished with nine points, shooting 3-for-5 from the field and 3-for-4 at the free-throw line.
Midway through the half, the Red Storm unleashed a full court pressure defense that cause havoc for the Golden Eagles. St. John's capitalized with quick buckets off the press and got within six with 9:50 to play after an 11-3 run. Mussini scored five points during the spurt, which included a trifecta that made it 53-47. Marquette committed 13 of its 22 turnovers in the second half.
Kassoum Yakwe (Bamako, Mali) helped the Red Storm gain momentum when he drew a charge on Ellenson and finished with a layup on the opposite end of the court. Sandy Cohen III coughed up another turnover in the backcourt leading to Mussini's third 3-pointer from the top of the key that electrified the Carnesecca Arena faithful and made it a two-point game with six minutes to play.
St. John's traded baskets with Marquette for the next two minutes before falling behind by eight with 2:17 left. Johnson's 3-pointers got the Red Storm back within striking distance, but despite making five-consecutive shots to start the second half Mussini came up short on the game-tying attempt.
"We tried to give everything we had in the last 20 minutes and we played good, but because of the first half it wasn't enough," said Mussini.
"I was just trying to hit the 3-point shot because obviously we were down by three. I thought it was about to go in. From what I saw it was straight on, but it didn't go in."
Duane Wilson had 12 of his 17 points in the first half to help Marquette carry a 31-23 advantage into the break. Sophomore forward Amar Alibegovic (Rome, Italy) made his second-straight start for the Red Storm and scored eight of his 10 points in the opening stanza.
Yakwe delivered another signature performance against Marquette, posting seven points, eight rebounds and a career-high seven blocks. The 6-foot-7 freshman forward recorded nine points, 11 rebounds and six blocks in the first meeting on Jan. 9 in Milwaukee.
St. John's returns to action on Wednesday taking on Seton Hall at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on FS1 and 570 AM WMCA.
