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Johnnies NCAA Run Comes to End Against Duke

 DUKE 80 - ST. JOHN'S 75 

Rick Pitino said it best in his post game press conference about his St. John's Red Storm following a heart-breaking finish to its NCAA title hopes at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16. 

"They were just the greatest kids in the world. They wanted to win so badly. They were willing to do anything to try and win. I'll never have a team like this again with that type of attitude."

And that's what makes Friday's 80-75 loss so painful, and so tough to digest. Because the Johnnies were that good. They were more than capable of beating the Blue Devils, and with the way the field was shaping up with Houston and Florida out of the way, and a date with Big East rival UCONN looming, there was a legitimate chance for St. John's to not only make it to the Final Four, but possibly the NCAA Championship game. 

And for different moments in this game, it looked like the dream could indeed come true. When Rube Prey connected on three consecutive three pointers to swing St. John's into the lead 40-39 at the half, it felt like anything was possible.  


 
 
St. John's dominated the arch in the first half. They were 9-of-17 from downtown, whereas Duke was 2-of-7. But as the old saying goes in basketball if you live by the three, you die by the three. 

St. John's couldn't reclaim that magic from the arch again in the second half. They were 4-of-14, with Dylan Darling, who had been the darling of the Johnnies run this season missing all three of his attempts. 

It didn't help that Ian Jackson and Joson Sanon were in early foul trouble and didn't contribute much. Oziyah Sellers was also quiet on the night, with a 2-of-9 shooting display (1-of-4 from downtown). He had only five points. 

For some reason, Pitino never went back to his bench to recall Ruben Prey in the second half.  Prey was so huge for the Johnnies in the first half, and was the single reason they had the lead to begin with. He was missed. 


Still, even when the odds were stacking up against them as the game wore on, St. John's had a chance. They had a 69-67 lead with 4:12 to go when Dillon Mitchell connected on a bucket after catching the ball on a errant in-bounds pass by Duke. 

But that was the last time St. John's had the lead. Duke went on a 7-0 run to take a 75-69 lead as St. John's went cold. But just when you thought it was over, Zuby Ejiofor connected on a long range three to cut the deficit to 75-72 with 1:56 to go. 

But St. John's inability to properly manage foul trouble proved to be the final nail on the season. A season that New Yorker's will never forget.  

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