Just when it seemed as if Anthony Mason Jr. couldn’t experience any more pain in his injury-plagued career, he did.
The torn tendon in his foot that cost him all of last season, the hamstring injury that nearly wiped out this season, none of those hurts was close to the agony he experienced last night in his final regular-season game in Carnesecca Arena.
The memory he will carry from an excruciating 63-61 overtime loss to Marquette on Senior Night is of his hand reaching, stretching, straining to get to Marquette’s Jimmy Butler, who hit an off-balance 17-footer from the right corner that beat the buzzer.
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“I was a step slow,” Mason said. “I should have crowded him.”
Butler was covered tightly, and as he turned to make his move, Malik Boothe almost stole the ball, but Butler recovered and let fly.
The ball hung in the air long enough for Mason to consider the highs and lows of his five-year career. Butler’s shot dropped through the nets and Carnesecca got so quiet you could hear a career drop.
“I think this is the hardest game in the world to live with,” said St. John’s forward D.J. Kennedy (20 points). “I’d rather lose by 20 than at the buzzer.”
Boothe gave St. John’s (15-12 overall, 5-10 in the Big East) overtime life with his clutch 3 with 21 seconds left. Butler got off a shot at the regulation buzzer, but it missed.
The Golden Eagles (18-9, 9-6) have lived this way all season. Their nine losses have been by a total of 32 points.
“No situation rattles our players,” said Marquette coach Buzz Williams.
The Red Storm took 61-59 lead on a layup by Mason (eight points, six boards) with 1:15 left. After two offensive rebounds, Marquette tied it on a Lazar Hayward (22 points) jumper that left Roberts so apoplectic he accidentally knocked a pile of stats to the court.
St. John’s couldn’t convert and Marquette called timeout with 21.7 seconds left. Boothe almost got the steal. Mason crowded Butler. The shot dropped.
“Anything can happen,” said a forlorn Roberts. “Which it did.”