When facing seemingly insurmountable adversity, it’s easy to give up, to surrender, to roll over without fighting back.
That’s not what William and Mary men’s basketball (2-2, 0-0 CAA) did Saturday, Nov. 15, at Carnesecca Arena in New York City. A 28.5-point underdog at the time of tipoff, the Tribe landed a series of early blows against No. 13 St. John’s (2-1, 0-0 Big East) during the programs’ first meeting since 2011.
The Red Storm boasted a significant home-court advantage, a multimillion-dollar roster and a Hall of Fame coach in Rick Pitino, but with six minutes, 11 seconds left in the first half, William and Mary boasted momentum after a fast-break dunk from junior forward Kilian Brockhoff tied the game at 26-26.
A catastrophic second period ultimately proved the prognosticators correct, dooming the Tribe to a 93-60 loss. Nevertheless, the victory was not an effortless one for the defending Big East champions. Before a 27-2 St. John’s run that washed the visitors away, the Carnesecca Arena crowd was on its feet only sporadically, more concerned than excited.
“Tough team to play against, by the way,” Pitino said. “[William and Mary] is not an easy team to play against because of their pace.”
Before the game, Pitino told the media he was “frightened” of William and Mary’s high tempo, relentless defensive pressure and three-point shooting ability. It took less than 60 seconds for the legendary coach’s fears to come to fruition — guarded by St. John’s senior forward Zuby Ejiofor, Brockhoff spotted up from beyond the arc for the Tribe’s first bucket of the night.
Less than two minutes later, William and Mary converted a steal into another triple, this time from senior guard Kyle Pulliam. Red Storm defenders were slow to close out on Brockhoff and Pulliam, allowing the Tribe duo clean looks at the basket. To Pitino’s frustration, William and Mary went on to make five of its first eight three-point attempts.
“We constantly talked about not backing up and getting skinny and getting over every screen because [of William and Mary’s] three-point shooting,” Pitino said. “In the first half, we did the opposite.”
Although the undersized Green and Gold struggled to stop the Red Storm from asserting its interior dominance, giving up 24 points in the first half and 54 overall, it stayed afloat by nailing triples and deploying a full-court press that prevented St. John’s from establishing a consistent rhythm on offense. Before halftime, William and Mary generated five steals to the hosts’ four and scored seven fast-break points.
When dissecting his squad’s strong first-half effort, William and Mary head coach Brian Earl identified the Tribe’s transition performance as a factor that helped it remain competitive.
“We were sharing the ball,” Earl said. “We have guys who make shots, and they’re getting the ball down fast, looking for open guys, a couple cuts here and there, and then we were dictating a little bit of pressure.”
It didn’t hurt that the Red Storm was ice-cold from beyond the arc, making just two of its first 11 three-point attempts and going six-for-28 on the night. With 3:10 remaining in the first half, groans echoed from the stands as St. John’s senior forward Sadiku Ibine Ayo recorded his team’s seventh consecutive three-point miss. On an ensuing possession, a Pulliam hook shot cut the hosts’ lead to 34-31.
“We felt like we were giving [William and Mary] the three-point line,” St. John’s redshirt junior guard Dylan Darling said, who went zero-for-four from three. “They were kind of hitting tough shots.”
A high-arcing triple from graduate student forward Cade Haskins electrified the Tribe’s bench and quieted the hostile crowd, which stood in discontented silence as it witnessed the Red Storm’s advantage cut to three points. A bucket from St. John’s graduate student forward Bryce Hopkins put the hosts up 39-34 at halftime, but no one in the building was satisfied except those wearing William and Mary jerseys.
Nevertheless, there were concerns for the Tribe at the break. In the first half, William and Mary committed nine turnovers while making only 42.9% of its two-pointers, failing to produce consistent looks from inside the arc. Exacerbating the Green and Gold’s interior issues, senior forward Finn Lally went down with a lower-body injury after recording a block, a steal, an assist and a rebound in just six minutes of playing time. As it emerged from the locker room, St. John’s began to hone in on the visitors’ weaknesses, displaying a renewed energy Earl’s team could not match.
“Clearly, [St. John’s] got a pep talk at halftime,” Earl said.
A back-and-forth contest quickly turned into a farce as William and Mary committed five turnovers in the first four minutes of the second half. After St. John’s recorded six points in quick succession, graduate student forward Jo’el Emanuel threw down a dunk to stop the bleeding, but the Red Storm immediately responded with an 18-0 run that showcased its frontcourt strength. 13 of the hosts’ 16 offensive rebounds came after the break, which Earl attributed only in part to Lally’s absence.
“I think it hurt a little bit, but I don’t know if it’s 30 points worth of impact,” Earl said. “He knows what we’re doing. This is [Lally’s] second year here, and so he can calm some nerves sometimes. So it was unfortunate, but injuries happen. We gotta have guys who can overcome in those moments.”
Despite Earl’s encouragement, William and Mary was sunk by the Red Storm’s onslaught. By the end of the game, St. John’s sophomore guard Ian Jackson and senior forward Dillon Mitchell were throwing down uncontested dunks for the adoring fans. When all was said and done, the hosts outscored the visitors 54-26 in the second half; during the period, the Tribe committed turnovers on nearly 40% of its possessions, made eight of its 18 two-point attempts and lost its touch from beyond the arc.
Although he was satisfied with William and Mary’s early-game effort, Earl identified few positives in the Tribe’s performance after the break.
“We sort of fell apart in the second half,” Earl said. “They overpowered us. I thought we had a pretty good game plan in the first half, made some shots, but we’re just not there yet to sustain it against a team like that with the mistakes we made.”
On the night, junior guard Reese Miller led William and Mary in scoring with 11 points, Pulliam and Emanuel contributed eight points apiece and senior guard Chase Lowe poured in seven. It was not enough; 24 turnovers ultimately sunk the Tribe in its bid for its first ranked win since 1977.
William and Mary returns to the court Wednesday, Nov. 19, taking on Bowling Green (3-1, 0-0 MAC) at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio. According to Earl, the Tribe’s loss to St. John’s alerted it to the facets of its game conference opponents will look to exploit.
“I think a lot of teams are going to try and be physical with us like St. John’s was,” Earl said. “We gotta practice with a little more intention on a lot of little things like turnovers and rebounds. [The Coastal Athletic Association] will have teams that look like [St. John’s] — not necessarily as physically dominant, but close.”
