The only message clearer than Dwight Hardy’s 33 points and D.J. Kennedy’s double-double against the ninth-ranked University of Connecticut Huskies was delivered by long-time Madison Square Garden PA announcer Mike Walczewski to St. John’s fans: “Please stay off the court, thank you for being supportive.”
For the first time since 2002, the Red Storm steamrolled UConn in regular season play with a commanding 89-72 victory, taking another step towards March’s big dance. From the on-set, the Huskies (18-5, 6-5) looked uncomfortable and unable to create any momentum on their own glass or in transition.
"This game was over early in the second half," UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. "We haven’t had that happen against some very good teams. We didn’t give any resistance for the first time in 23 games. It was a very disappointing night for us."
After Malik Boothe’s quasi-half-court buzzer beater ended the first half with St. John’s (14-9, 6-5) leading 35-31, the always-animated Calhoun took one too many steps on to the court prompting a technical foul and some free-throws to start the second half. Kennedy converted and followed with a key steal and jam combination, sparking a 19-8 run. Throughout the second half, Bronx native Kemba Walker, one of the nation’s top point guards and scoring threats, was mostly harmless, missing 12 of 16 shots while accumulating 15 points and 7 assists. His Bronx counterpart in Dwight Hardy stole the show with a career high 33 points including five three-pointers and a total of 65 points in his last two games. The 13,652 erupted into bedlam after Hardy drained an off-balance three ball, making the score 60-42 St. John’s, dashing any real hope for any UConn comeback.
“It’s a good feeling to know that we put on a good show for the fans,” said Hardy. “I was in the zone. When I’m in one of those zones, I just kind of black out. The basket gets bigger and bigger.”
This was the second straight blowout of the Huskies by St. John’s. The Red Storm beat the Huskies 73-51 in the first round of last year’s conference tournament. Connecticut won the previous nine meetings and entered the game first in field goal defense in the Big East. Head coach Steve Lavin credited the win to “a sustained attack” style of basketball on both ends of the court and is already looking to their next opponent.
“We already circled Cincinnati. It’s natural to want to celebrate and party with your classmates and enjoy this win. We just can’t afford to. We have to wait until the spring and sacrifice if we are going to do something special,” said Lavin.
The win was the Johnnies fourth against a ranked team and puts them in better position to make their first National Championship tournament appearance since 2002. Seven Big East match-ups remain of their schedule including two tough road games against Cincinnati and Villanova. St. John’s takes on Cincinnati on Sunday, February 13 at noon.
