Surprisingly, St. John's season ends with loss to Gonzaga - Earlier this week, St. John's head coach Steve Lavin compared Gonzaga big players for a number of skyscrapers across the yard. This would make the Red Storm Brooklyn Brownstone by comparison.
Tattooed with seven foot patrols inside Robert Sacre, No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs-muscled, over-shot and well dominated Np. 6 St. John's on the way to a 86-71 victory in their first game in the NCAA tournament. Gonzaga (25-9) will face BYU, which defeated Wofford, Saturday at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
St. John's (21-12), it was a bitter end of a storm of the season Red also surprised to win its bid first tournament since 2002 and first national ranking in a decade.
"Losing in the NCAA tournament is heartbreaking," Lavin said a somber after the game. "One year, five years from now will look back and realize that basketball has made St. John's back."
Gonzaga game marked the 13th straight NCAA tournament appearance. Instead, the player of St. John had never participated in the tournament - and the inexperience showed.
The Bulldogs of all banned, but St. John's, painting, taking 23 more rebounds (43 to 20) and scoring 10 points in the interior (1934-1924). The absence of DJ Kennedy, leader of the team rebounds before he injured his right knee in the Big East tournament, it was clear.
"Obviously, rebounding was the difference in this game," said Lavin. "There was a concern that comes in. It is played."
But out of Gonzaga shot was so deadly - an impossible combination to beat.
A limited number of rebounds in the defeat of St. John the ability to pipe up from the floor and quickly turns into baskets, a cornerstone of his success this year. Red Storm seems to interfere with the rhythm of the Bulldog offensive ', despite a number of defenses, such as the plenary session and regional pressure.
St. John's hands went up. But the shots Gonzaga, unambiguously, sank in
Although St. John's shot a respectable 46.6% from the floor, the Bulldogs drained 60% of the huge three-point shots, many of which are deflated by the mini-St. John works. Overall, Gonzaga shot 53.8% from the field.
St. John's lead Gonzaga reduced to 10 with 12:32 left in the game, but the Bulldogs responded with a run 10-2, giving a lead of 70-52 and the Red Storm snuff for good.
Throughout the game, Lavin mixed in a number of players from San Juan to try to recover some of the properties of procedure, including 6-foot-10 senior Dele Coker, with an average of only 1, 8 minutes in 17 games the old equipment. Coker, but managed only one rebound and no points. Superior 6-foot-8 forward Sean Evans, who started only his second game this year was a success a little better, scoring four points and six rebounds pin.
But finally, St. John's had no answer to the Bulldogs, who effortlessly kicked the ball under pressure from Marquise Carter (24 points), Steven Gray (16 points) or Elijah Harris (15 points). Their shots seemed to curve to the magnet, with the same awkward shot three players pulled together in 64% on three points.
"It was the most skilled team offensively, we've seen all year," said Lavin. "They are definitely a team to the Final Four."
older Red Storm consoled himself with the thought that they have achieved more than anyone thought possible. The program has restored national importance, and is one of the recruit classes to get to the top of the next season. There is much to celebrate.
Senior guard Dwight Hardy, who scored 26 points a game, a record for cap a brilliant career at that. But his eyes were still red when he met the press after the match.
"We know that after this loss, he lasted just do not get a second chance," he said. Yet, he added, "We are crying right now, but we can say we did something special in our years older."
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