St. John's upsets Orange at Madison Square Garden

By Michael Castellano
Photos from redstormsports.com


New York, N.Y - "New York's Team" was the chant of choice for the outnumbered group of St. John's fans who got the final cheer during the last seconds of play Sunday afternoon in Orange-packed Madison Square Garden, as the squad billed as "New York's College Team" fell to the Red Storm for the second straight year, 84-72.

St. John's (7-3, 0-0 Big East) had five players score in double figures led by freshman sensation Federico Mussini of Italy who put in 17 points on 5-7 shooting from beyond the arc. 

Syracuse (7-3, 0-0 ACC) shot just 19-percent from three (5-26) on the afternoon to St. John's 50-percent (12-24), several from well beyond the NBA line, and was outrebounded 51-36. Michael Gbinije had another solid performance for Syracuse, putting in 21 points to go along with seven rebounds and two assists.

Red Storm starts strong

St. John's came roaring out of the gate taking a 7-2 lead four minutes into play. The Orange steamed back using a 12-4 run to take a 14-11 lead capped by a Tyler Lydon layup. 

But Coach Chris Mullin's  young Johnnies, who lost their top six scorers from last season, finished the half on a 10-4 run highlighted by two three-pointers from Mussini in the final two minutes. The led at the half, 40-31.

"I know when I'm open I need to keep shooting," Mussini said. "My teammates were finding me and I was knocking them down."

Second half: Red Storm holds Orange at bay

Syracuse hung with St. John's early in the second half as freshman Malachi Richardson scored eight points in the first six minutes to keep the SJU lead within striking distance at 48-39.

But Syracuse hit just one three-pointer in the final period and couldn't control St. John's behind the perimeter as the Red Storm went 7-11 from three in the second half.

"The difference in the game was the shooting," Syracuse interim head coach Mike Hopkins said. "We had open looks we just couldn't knock them down."

Missed Orange opportunities

The Orange cut the deficit to seven with 3:14 to play with a pair of free throws by Richardson, who finished the game with 15 points on just 4-20 shooting including 0-11 from three.

Things looked positive for Syracuse in the final minutes as its full-court trap proved effective resulting in three steals in the final three minutes, but the Orange missed three layups in a row that would have cut the lead down to just one.

Needing to foul, Syracuse sent Mussini to the line with just over a minute to play. The freshman from Italy hit both giving the Red Storm a 81-72 lead and putting the game out of reach for SU.

"I think this was the best win of my life in the world's most famous arena," Mussini said.

Syracuse was limited to just two points in transition as the St. John's defense shut down  the break.

"We did a good job limiting them in transition and stopping their threes," Mullin said. "Their bigs can run. When they get out and run, that's when they really find their rhythm."

Game notes:

The St. John's win marks the first time the Johnnies have notched consecutive wins over the Orange since the 1992-1993 season. They defeated Syracuse last season 69-57 in the Carrier Dome.

It's also the first time St. John's has defeated Syracuse at Madison Square Garden since January of 2007. St. John's moved to 7-3 on the season and picked up its second win over a major conference foe (Rutgers - 11/19).

Syracuse continued to struggle from the free throw line, hitting just 19-31. Tyler Roberson struggled most, making just one of eight.  The Orange is now shooting under 69-percent from the line this season.

Trevor Cooney had eleven points for Syracuse, but made just one of eleven from three-point range.

After winning its first six games including taking home the Battle4Atlantis championship, Syracuse has now lost three of its last four games, two of those against former Big East rivals Georgetown and St. John's.

Next

Syracuse returns to action next Saturday with a non-conference matchup against Cornell at the Carrier Dome. Tip-off is slated for noon.

St. John's hosts Incarnate Word, Friday night at the on-campus Carnesecca Arena.