Eight days later, St. John's put on another Houdini performance.
Leading by 10 points at halftime. You will be completely outmaneuvered. That engine, Davon Smith, was out with a shoulder injury and was on the bench, drenched in sweat.
But just like last Tuesday against Georgetown, the Johnnies made a furious comeback. This time it took five extra minutes, but 20th-ranked St. John's found a way to beat Xavier 79-71 in overtime, winning its sixth straight game in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 14,545 at the Garden on Wednesday night. , won for the 12th time in 13 years. game.
The Red Storm scored the first eight points of the overtime session (Zubiy Ejiofor had six points) and remained at the top of the Big East standings.
They hold the school's best record with 17 wins and three losses through 20 games since the 1989-90 team started with the same record.
The Johnnies have now won three times when trailing by 15 points in a game.
“Loss is not an option for us. It's non-negotiable for us and that's our attitude and that's why we're coming back,” coach Rick Pitino said. “I think they have a huge fear of losing, and that’s a good thing.
“A lot of teams really get hung up when they're down by 16 points. It's the complete opposite for them, and it goes back to them being afraid of losing and going on offense. They don't go on offense when the game is on the line. We made all kinds of great defensive plays when we had to, and we just didn't do it in the first 28 minutes.”
Cadary Richmond had a career-high 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals for St. John's, while Simeon Wilcher and Ejiofor each had 16 points.
The Johnnies rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half, with RJ Lewis adding 16 points and seven rebounds.
Xavier scored 52 points in the first 24 minutes, 52 seconds of the game, but was held to 18 points in the final 20 minutes, 18 seconds.
“Their pressure crushed us,” Musketeers coach Sean Miller said.
Check out the latest Big East standings and St. Louis. John's statistics
St. John's (17-3, 8-1), which at one point trailed by 16 points, kept charging back. With a 12-2 burst, they were within the top eight. A 10-2 run gave them a one-point lead.
Richmond scored inside at 3:41, giving the Johnnies the lead for the first time since early in the first half. The building, which had been quiet for the first and second half, was shaking.
“Let's go Johnnys!” the chants echoing from the walls of MSG grew louder as Lewis made a steal and scored, extending the lead to three points.
But Xavier (12-8, 4-5) rallied with five straight points to take back the lead with 2:15 left, when Ryan Conwell sank a deep 3 and Xavier star Zach Freemantle hit inside. Scored.
Richmond also battled back on the other end, tying St. John's even at 65-65 with 1:03 left in regulation.
Ejiofor made an inside basket to start overtime and extended the lead to eight points with a 3-point play with two minutes left. On this play, he committed his fifth and final foul against Fremantle.
The up-and-coming big man scored 12 points after half-time, holding Fremantle to just four points.
“I'm a competitive guy. I don't want to lose any games. I feel like we've been behind in the first half all year long, so I had to understand that,” Ejiofor said. “But I think my motor will keep me going. [I have a] There was a will and desire to win and not let our teammates down, and we all played collective basketball in the second half. ”
So far, it's been the story of this season for the Johnny's.
They find ways to win when shorthanded, when the shots aren't falling, and when losing is inevitable.
Fans are also starting to notice. Nearly 15,000 people braved the frigid weather to fill the gardens on Wednesday night.
“Right now things are going well and if we win, that's good,” Pitino said. “Look, this is New York, and in New York it's all about winning. If you win, they're going to show up, and we know that. We're winning right now and making St. John's the way it should be. I'm putting it back in place. Too bad Lou. [Carnesecca] Not alive. He would be very proud of the way this team played. ”
