Sports

St. John’s dominates boards to upset No. 14 Cincy

CINCINNATI — In the pregame locker room before yesterday’s litmus test game at Cincinnati, St. John’s coach Steve Lavin wrote just a single word on the grease board: “Rebound.” The Red Storm’s talent had never been questioned, only their toughness, and they needed to rebound both figuratively and literally. They did just that.

The young Red Storm ground out a 53-52 signature win against the No. 14 Bearcats that was far more hard work than work of art. They rebounded from Wednesday’s overtime collapse at Villanova, outrebounded the Big East’s most dominant team on the boards, and held on for victory before 8,142 at Fifth Third Arena.

“First time in my career I only put one word on the dry erase board. … Nothing else, and just circled it,’’ said Lavin, whose team held a 40-34 rebounding edge and got a clutch last-minute jumper from D’Angelo Harrison (15 points) for a road upset that can help define their season.

“I think so. There are certain intersections or crossroads in every season, where a team needs a signature victory. I said you guys – not me – you’re the author or victories, the engineer, the architect of victories. I said why not (now?)’’

The Red Storm (9-5, 1-1 Big East) conjured a victory from a story that seemed destined for yet another brutal collapse like the ones they suffered against UNC-Asheville and Murray State. They led 36-24 with 14:14 left, but the Bearcats came back and Cashmere Wright (game-high 23 points) hit a pair of 3-pointers to highlight an 8-0 Cincinnati run that sliced the lead to one with 2:32 left.

Wright’s layup with 53 seconds left put the Bearcats (13-2, 1-1) up 52-51. But Harrison, coming off a career-high 36 points Wednesday, drilled a clutch jumper off a screen with 29 seconds left. And after Titus Rubles (14 points) missed a jumper, Sir’Dominic Pointer snatched the Red Storm’s 40th and most vital rebound.

“Coach called a great play, I got the switch I wanted, and I just pulled up. It was a great shot. He called my number and I delivered,’’ Pointer said. “Coach established from the beginning: play in the paint. They’re a big physical team. We weren’t trying to let them punk us.’’

The young Red Storm — a team that has struggled to close games with 10 freshmen and sophomores — refused to be punked, even against a physically-imposing Bearcats squad that came in among the nation’s Top 10 in both field goal defense and rebounding. St. John’s held them to 31.7 percent shooting, including Wright’s miss of a half-court heave that clanged off the rim at the buzzer.

The Red Storm didn’t have point guard Jamal Branch, day-to-day with an eye injury. But freshman JaKarr Sampson recovered from Wednesday’s disappointing two-point, five-foul Big East debut with a team-high 16 points, eight boards and three steals.

“I was sick after that, because I feel like I didn’t contribute enough for my team. I felt like I was a little piece, the reason why we lost. But I bounced back and played well,’’ Sampson said. “[Blowing leads] happened to us earlier. It always happens to us. I was like not again. We’ve got to keep this lead, not give up.’’