VILLANOVA, Pa. — The challenge for Steve Lavin this year will be teaching his young St. John’s team to finish, and the Red Storm likely learned some painful lessons last night. They wasted D’Angelo Harrison’s career game and squandered a second-half rally, because they couldn’t keep their poise or find a way to finish.
The Red Storm — which had just one upperclassman play — fought hard and gained a brief lead before going to overtime. But whether they were wilting under fatigue or melting under the spotlight of their Big East opener, they collapsed in the extra session and lost, 98-86, to Villanova at the sold-out Pavilion.
“We didn’t finish at the end of first half, we didn’t finish the second half well, and he didn’t play well in overtime,” said Lavin, who saw his team allow the first ten points of overtime and get outscored 15-3. “ If you don’t finish well in those stretches of the game, you’re not going to be successful,’’
“Finishing is the area we were disappointed with, sustaining a level of execution, sustaining a level of effort. … We didn’t finish and to Villanova’s credit they did.’’
Harrison scored a career-high 36 points for St John’s (8-5, 0-1 Big East), and Amir Garrett and Phil Greene IV each added 15.
Nevertheless, Harrison’s performance was wasted because their younger players lost their poise at inopportune times against Villanova (10-4, 1-0), winners of six straight.
“Last year, my first overtime game was Villanova,” Harrison said. “My eyes were big. I know what they’re going through. The only thing you can do is say we need you, keep it up, and hopefully they’ll learn from it.’’
Lavin gave Jamal Branch his first start in a three-guard lineup, and he had 12 points but got an ill-advised technical in a six-point swing at the end of the first half and added four turnovers.
“I just lost my cool at the time. I definitely won’t do that again,’’ said Branch.
The Red Storm also went to a zone defense to try to make up for their lack of size, but it didn’t help. The Wildcats had 47 rebounds and shot 34-of-42 from the stripe, as well as getting a career-high 32 from Ryan Arcidiacono.
After 11 days to stew on a loss to UNC-Asheville, the Red Storm led most of the second half. They led 81-78 after Greene’s layup with two minutes in regulation, but Darrun Hilliard, who had 14 points and huge plays down the stretch — got Garrett to bite on a pump-fake at the arc, and tied it with three free throws.
After that, Brooklinite JayVaughn Pinkston (career-high 26 points) hit two foul shots for Villanova, before Harrison made both ends of a clutch one-and-one with four seconds left to force overtime. It would turn out to be a dismal one, with the Red Storm shooting 1-of-7 with three turnovers.
Hilliard put Villanova on the board with a pair of free throws; then after Harrison got trapped in a double, Hilliard picked off his cross-court pass for a layup.
Then Hilliard drew a charge to foul out JaKarr Sampson. The highly touted freshman, who entered the game averaging 14.7 points, was held to two points on 1-of-6 shooting. Daniel Ochefu’s one-handed follow dunk put Villanova ahead 89-83, and the rest was garbage time.