(PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. JOHN’S RED STORM ATHLETICS – BRENDAN WILLSCH)
Things looked real good for the Johnnies in the latter part of the second half inside the Dunkin’ Donuts Center against No. 16 Providence, where they were ahead by three, and then by five just two minutes into the second half.
Until Julian Champagnie rang four points into the net and prompted an Ed Cooley timeout, just two minutes into the second half.
Then, Providence woke up mightily.
The St. John’s Red Storm (9-4, 1-1 BIG EAST) fell to the No. 16 Providence Friars (14-2, 4-1 BIG EAST) by a score of 83-73 on Saturday afternoon in front of 10,000 Friar faithful.
The first half featured sluggish starts for both programs that included Julian Champagnie and Nate Watson, the faces of each respective program. The Red Storm would convert 16-of-35 from the floor, with Posh Alexander leading the way with 12 points.
But, Purdue transfer Aaron Wheeler stepped up to the plate when big man Joel Soriano went down with three fouls and played a mere eight minutes in the first half. Wheeler was able to ring off three-of-six from the floor, which included one shot from distance, along with four rebounds, one steal, and one turnover.
Season-high 12 points for Aaron Wheeler#SJUBB pic.twitter.com/VqdCVwgVjg
— St. John's BBall (@StJohnsBBall) January 8, 2022
After center Nate Watson got into foul trouble in the first half, he only logged nine minutes with a pair of fouls, and just four points total. In the second half, though, Watson took the game over with 18 points, 2 turnovers, two blocks, and eight rebounds. The graduate big man also tallied an additional four out of a possible five from the charity stripe.
It was difficult for St. John’s to get into rhythm as 22 fouls were called in the contest against them, with 30 attempted shots from the Friars, where they were able to land 26 of them.
The Friars were able to string off a 12-2 run, which forced Mike Anderson to call a timeout just eight minutes into the second half, despite Wheeler’s five straight points afterward.
For head coach Mike Anderson’s squad? 8-for-17. He wasn’t too fond of the officiating, with no words directly towards them, but his reaction speaks for itself.
"It was awful" – Mike Anderson, unprovoked, on the free throw discrepancy #sjubb
— Kevin Connelly (@KevinConnelly24) January 8, 2022
In the contest, the Johnnies landed 18 points off of 18 turnovers from Providence. The Friars landed 46 total points in the paint, where much of the contest took place in today. Both teams combined for 90 points in the painted area. The Red Storm also added 18 points off second chance and fast break opportunities. Providence also got 24 points off the bench, where 18 of those points came from Jared Bynum. 12 in the second stanza.
The lone bright spots for the Red Storm include Dylan Addae-Wusu continuing his strong play as of late, with 20 points, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 7 rebounds in 7-of-13 shooting. 16 of the 20 came in the final half. Posh Alexander logged 14 points in the game, with four assists, and four rebounds.
Champagnie had a tough follow up game after his career game against DePaul, where he was held to 5-of-19 from the floor, just adding 11 points, 1 assist, a pair of steals, and grabbed seven boards. The star forward was also unsuccessful from distance in eight tries.
The Johnnies nor the Friars were able to get any rhythm from downtown, as the teams combined for just eight triples in the hard fought Big East battle.
Providence head coach Ed Cooley also was able to land his 300th career victory with the win over St. John’s this afternoon.
Congrats to @CoachCooleyPC on his 300th career win pic.twitter.com/Z8DZn5FAly
— Providence MBB (@PCFriarsmbb) January 8, 2022
The road doesn’t get any easier for St. John’s as they head back on the road to visit Gampel Pavillion in Stoors, CT and face off against the University of Connecticut Huskies on Wednesday, January 12 for an 8:30 p.m. start on FS1.
After the Connecticut battle, the Johnnies will return to Madison Square Garden for a noon matinee against Georgetown on Sunday, January 16, for a national television spot on FOX. Then, the Red Storm will venture back on the road to Omaha, and face Creighton on Wednesday, January 19, before the home-and-home series against No. 24 Seton Hall.
