A look back at Tuesday’s UConn-Notre Dame game:
St. John’s 73, UConn 51
TURNING POINT _ Much like they have in a number of other games this season, the Huskies came out flat. The players at St. John’s, perhaps sensing weakness from the Huskies or a lack of desire, pounced.
The Red Storm jumped out to a 10-2 lead to start the game. The Huskies never got closer than five the rest of the way.
“They knocked us off all screens, they completely outplayed us, they were much hungrier than we were,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said.
Given that the Huskies started well and ended up beating the likes of Villanova and West Virginia less than a month ago, watching them fall flat quickly against one of the Big East’s also-rans was an odd scene. The UConn players were perhaps as stunned as their fans at the early returns.
“If we could explain it, we would have fixed it,” forward Gavin Edwards said. “We’ve had so many ups and downs this season.”
UNSUNG HERO _ It’s not as if Justin Brownlee is incapable of playing at this level, but few expected the St. John’s forward to be a major factor against the Huskies.
The 6-foot-7 junior college transfer was just that, however, Tuesday at the Garden. He had 13 points, four rebounds and four blocked shots.
Brownlee went just 8-of-40 from 3-point range during the regular season, but attempted six triples against UConn and made two of them.
BEST ‘X’ AND/OR ‘O’ _ The game plan against UConn this season has almost always included a section about stopping dribble penetration by its guards. But St. John’s didn’t just plan to stop the Huskies’ jaunts to the basket, it actually did it too.
In part because of the Red Storm’s defensive efforts _ and in part because both simply struggled _ Jerome Dyson turned the ball over nine times and Kemba Walker missed 13 of his 17 shots.
“You have to try to keep Kemba Walker out of the lane and Dyson,” St. John’s coach Norm Roberts said. “They’re two of the best in the country getting in the lane and finishing plays. I thought our big guys and our guards did a great job in guarding the ball screens and keeping them out of the lane for the most part.”
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS _ Calhoun can usually be described as animated, fiery, boisterous and many other adjectives during a game. And he was, at times, on Tuesday.
But the coach spent long periods of time, especially in the second half as the game truly began to get away from his Huskies, sitting quietly on the bench.
A reporter asked Calhoun after the game why he was so subdued.
“They had eight dunks in the lane,” Calhoun said. “I’m just not sure how many of those I would have blocked if I had been jumping and yelling.”
LOOKING AHEAD _ The NIT is probably ahead, but Calhoun said immediately after the game that he’s not sure the Huskies should accept a bid to the event.
“We won’t practice for a couple days at least,” Calhoun said. “Then I don’t know if we will practice or not.”
Four straight losses have seemingly taken a toll on the Huskies.
“I think it’s a good time to reflect,” Calhoun said. “Where we were today and how we ended up is certainly not typical. We’ve been beaten before and we’ve ended seasons on some sour notes…”
The coach obviously feels this ending was much more than sour.
BY THE NUMBERS
6 _ Consecutive losses by UConn in the Big East Tournament.
5 _ Number of years since UConn’s last win in the event, a 66-62 victory over Georgetown March 10, 2005.
- Neill
