St. John’s (8) Suffers Overtime Loss To Marquette (1) In Big East Tournament 15

Three Lacrosse Players To Watch In Justin Turri’s First Season

Despite an 0-5 start to the season, the future of lacrosse in Queens looks to be in good hands. Though St. John’s University lacrosse team dropped their second game Feb. 18, there are many reasons to be excited about the Red Storm going forward.

While the No. 13 Delaware Blue Hens ultimately won the contest 16-9, the game’s first half was much closer. The Red Storm was able to hang with the Blue Hens through the first 30 minutes of action, thanks to goalie Kyle Munsen recording 10 of his 15 saves in the first half. The senior is one of three players who are going to be key to Justin Turri’s turnaround of the program.

A back-and-forth contest between Marquette (1) and St. John’s (8) ended in the Johnnies’ crushing Thursday afternoon overtime loss, 72-70. The team dropped the quarterfinal-round game in the Big East Tournament, extending the program’s Big East Tournament semifinal round drought to 23 years and officially eliminating St. John’s from the NCAA tournament.

St. John’s found itself with the ball, down by two points, with less than four seconds remaining in overtime. Dylan Addae-Wusu had been successfully driving to the basket and working inside the paint late, with 11 of his 16 points coming in the second half. St. John’s head coach Mike Anderson hoped to send Addae-Wusu back to the basket for the game’s final play, but the junior guard couldn’t get through.

“We had guys spaced out on the floor and we wanted to try to get Dylan [Addae-Wusu] to the hole,” Anderson said of the game’s final play in a postgame media conference. “He came off the screen and I thought they did a good job of jamming it up in there.”

But although junior guard Posh Alexander got an open look on a 3-point try that could’ve given the Red Storm the win, the shot bounced off the rim. Alexander scored seven points on 2-for-10 shooting against the Golden Eagles.

Before the Johnnies faltered in overtime, they made a critical blunder in regulation. Alexander grabbed a steal from Iso Ighodaro, and passed it to forward David Jones with roughly 15 seconds left in the second half.

Instead of calling a timeout, the Johnnies continued play, Jones lost the ball and committed a foul. The error cost St. John’s a possession and allowed Marquette to tack on another point.

“I was trying to call one,” Anderson said. “It happened so fast.”

In a game that saw the Red Storm lead by as many as 14 points, the team couldn’t overcome their sluggish start to the second half. St. John’s led by 10 points heading into the locker room at the half, but Marquette opened the game’s second period on a 12-4 scoring run that tied the game at 40. From there, St. John’s and Marquette would trade leads, but the Johnnies shot 24.1% from the field through the end of regulation. In total, the game was tied 10 different times and there were eight lead changes.

Immediately following the loss, there were questions of whether St. John’s would play in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) if they are selected. “If there’s an opportunity, our guys want to play,” Anderson said. “I’m sure our guys will want to play.”

Anderson declined to comment on whether there have been conversations with the St. John’s administration about his future. But when asked about whether he hopes to be the Johnnies’ coach next season, he said “yes, without a doubt.”

Players voiced their support for Anderson after their elimination, including senior center Joel Soriano, who is the NCAA leader in double-doubles. Soriano, who can return next season if he decides to use his additional COVID eligibility year, told New York Post reporter Zach Braziller that he is only returning if Anderson is the head coach. “He’s a great coach,” Soriano added.

Freshman standout AJ Storr, who scored six points on 1-for11 shooting against Marquette, seemed to share Soriano’s sentiment in a cryptic tweet.

While St. John’s missed out on a potential NIT bid, Maruqette secured a Big East Tournemant win.

The Johnnies will continue their pursuit into the 2024 season under head coach Rick Pitino.

Graduate student midfielder Sean Duffy and Sophomore attackman Brian Kelly are going to be just as vital for future success. Duffy was the team’s big addition in the offseason, luring the second-team All-American away from Hampden-Sydney College with the opportunity to be a focal point of the offense.

Kelly, fresh off his first season where he broke the record for points scored as a freshman with 44, continued his hot start to the season by recording a hat-trick. This is his fourth career game with at least three goals in his short time in Queens.

Following a season where the Red Storm did not lose by less than 14 goals to a nationally ranked program, falling to Delaware by seven goals seems like an accomplishment already. Whenever a new coach takes over a program, there will be growing pains and adjustment periods. This 2022-23 St. John’s lacrosse team should not be judged based on their early performances.

The group will continue to make strides under Turri as the players begin to buy into his system and philosophy. The young head coach brings a plethora of experiences to St. John’s, having won a National Championship as a player with Duke as well as serving as Michigan’s offensive coordinator for the past four seasons.

The Red Storm will continue their pursuit against Marquette in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 8. The team is currently 0-10.