Surging Johnnies
Beat Butler after ankle sprain KOs Obekpa
AS THE JOHNNIES WERE SITTING IN the Knicks’ locker room at the Garden at halftime on Tuesday night, there were plenty of reasons for things to go south for them. None was good enough.
Not the ankle injury that will keep starting center Chris Obekpa out maybe two weeks. Not the lack of energy the Red Storm showed in the first half. Not the way Butler attacked the rim to take a three-point lead into the break.
The Red Storm had done too much — going from 0-5 in the Big East to contention for an NCAA Tournament berth — or as JaKarr Sampson said, “worked too hard to get ourselves to this position. . . . to let it slip.” And so the Johnnies didn’t.
The Red Storm was overpowering after the break, blowing past Butler for a 77-52 victory. St. John’s (18-9, 8-6) has won six straight Big East games and nine out of 10 overall. Their eight conference wins trail only No. 9 Villanova and No. 11 Creighton.
“We know what we’ve been doing,” Jamal Branch said of this Red Storm roll. “We had to keep the one-game win streak mentality.”
Sampson had a career-high 23 points on 11-for-15 shooting, including 14 as the Johnnies broke the game open with a 24-8 run in the middle of the second half. He made jumpers on back-to-back possessions to get the score to 59-43 with 7:16 left. Branch had five of his 10 points and four of his five assists after the break. As always though, it was the defense igniting the offense for the Johnnies, who turned five second-half turnovers by the Bulldogs (12-14, 2-12) into 10 points.
Being without Obekpa to beat last-place Butler is one thing, but he almost certainly will miss the next two crucial games after an MRI on Tuesday revealed a sprain and bone bruise in his right ankle. A victory at Villanova on Saturday would be the kind of win that would cement the Storm’s place in the field of 68. Next Tuesday it hosts Xavier in a game between two teams that could give the NCAA Tournament selection committee a tough decision. “He’s one of our leaders on the defensive end and he was doing good scoring the ball, too,” Sampson said. “We’re going to miss that but we’re going to come the same way we’re used to — mentally tough, attack at the defensive end and let the defense create the offense.”
Obekpa appeared to tweak the ankle in a Monday practice at the Garden and seemed all right until he woke up the next morning in what coach Steve Lavin called “excruciating pain.” He was examined at the Hospital for Special Surgery, had the MRI and was diagnosed about four hours before game time. He sat on the bench with a walking boot.
The 6-9 sophomore ranks 11th nationally in blocked shots with 3.2 per game, but his recent offense seems to have added fuel to St. John’s fire. After averaging 3.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in the Johnnies’ 0-5 Big East start, he has scored in double figures in four of his last six games and has averaged 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in his last eight Big East games.
“Chris is a central part of what we do on both ends of the court. Our team will have to step up collectively in his absence,” Lavin said.
God’sgift Achiuwa started in Obekpa’s place, but Orlando Sanchez saw more minutes at center and had 11 rebounds and seven points.