After a week of mourning, St. John's Church held a celebration.
He praised Lou Carnesecca for his proud performance in the second half.
Rick Pitino wore custom sweatshirts and his players performed like they were part of Carnesecca's team, increasing pressure on defenses and playing at a high level on opposing teams.
The capacity crowd, which included Felipe Lopez and Walter Berry, rose to its feet several times, and the Johnnys erased a 10-point first-half deficit by playing the final 20 minutes as thoroughly as this group had played in the team's first game. Since Carnesecca passed away at the age of 99.
The result was a lopsided 88-71 victory over Kansas State in a Big East vs. Big 12 battle at the aptly named Carnesecca Arena.
The day began with chants of “Lou” and ended with chants of “Zubi” in honor of junior forward Zubie Ejiofor, who had 28 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Davon Smith (5 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists) provided a spark in his return from a one-game suspension, and Simeon Wilcher and Ruben Play also contributed off the bench.
At halftime, there was a tense energy in the building after such an emotional pregame ceremony, and St. John's held a moment of silence for Carnesecca and played a video montage just before tipoff.
Kansas State led by four points and made 8 of 13 3-pointers.
The same issues that plagued St. John's in its loss to Georgia and narrow win over Harvard still plagued the Johnnies: poor shooting and shaky 3-point defense.
Another team appeared in the second half.
The ball moved. The defense was on point.
St. John's picked up the pace and scored in transition.
They scored 20 of the first 25 points after the break to take the lead for good.
Carnesecca Arena was the loudest all year long.
The Red Storm scored 53 points on 53 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes.
The result was never in doubt after Ejiofor scored inside with 8:40 left to extend the lead to 17 points.
St. John's was going to try to get a win on Lou Carnesecca Day.
At the horn, Johnny's coach, wearing an eclectic sweater, won.
