Pirates Knock Off Johnnies In Thrilling Comeback
by Zach Smart
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Paul Gause masked his embarrassment with a brief laugh and a smile as he jogged downcourt. The over-anxious Seton Hall freshman had just committed an error that only a third grade recreational team coach would let slide.
It’s a good thing that he didn’t let the mistake get to him, because it was Gause’s late-game heroics that forced overtime and later pulled the Pirates ahead en route to a stunning 69-61 overtime victory over visiting St. John’s.
Gause, who scored on the wrong basket to extend the St. John’s lead to 20 with 11:54 remaining in the first half, surely redeemed himself. He hit a 12-foot double-pump leaner at the buzzer to force overtime, and then scored a crucial go-ahead layup in overtime. In a span of 12 minutes, Gause went from zero to hero.
“I definitely experienced the highs and lows tonight,” Gause said to CBS Sportsline after the game.
“It was the worst feeling of my life and the best feeling all in one. I just tried to get that last shot up. When it left my hand, I didn’t hear the buzzer, so I knew I got it off. But I didn’t know it was good until it dropped through the net.”
Gause came off the bench to score 7 points on three-of-five shooting, including a three-point play that cut SJU’s lead to eight with under five minutes left.
It was quite a way to begin Big East action, as the Pirates robbed what would have been the Red Storm’s first road victory under Norm Roberts. St. John’s, which is on the path to reviving what has been a troublesome program the past couple years, hasn’t won a road game since defeating Stony Brook back on Nov. 29, 2003.
St. John’s (7-5, 0-1) let a 20-point lead slip away during the game’s final 11 and a half minutes. The Pirates (9-3, 1-0) closed out the half with a relentless 28-8 surge to erase the deficit. A big part of the spurt was the play of two seniors, energetic point guard Donald Copeland and big man Kelly Whitney.
Copeland, who picked up three early fouls, refused to die. He ignited the offense and was resilient under pressure down the stretch. The native of Jersey City finished with 20 points. Whitney poured in 23 points and was 6-of-8 from the field, 11-for-14 from the charity stripe. The 6-foot-8 forward also pulled down seven boards.
SJU came out on all cylinders in the first half. They shot 53.8 percent from the floor and fed the ball into Aaron Spears, who made his first six shots. Spears finished with 15 to lead the Johnnies.
Things couldn’t have been worse for the Pirates early on. They shot an atrocious 5-for-19 (26%) from the floor, 0-for-8 from behind the arc. They converted just five of their 11 free throw attempts and committed 12 turnovers to just two assists.
They started off the second half on the same foot. Chants of “Fire Louis!” echoed from the Pirate faithful as the Hall trailed 45-26 after Dexter Gray’s fast break lay-up.
Everything changed after Gause’s blooper. Roberts’ team folded under pressure, as they committed critical turnovers and couldn’t hit vital shots.
In the extra session, Ryan Williams sank a pair of free throws to regain the lead for St. John’s. Copeland hit one of two at the foul line before stealing the ball from Eugene Lawrence and racing back the basket. Lawrence then committed his fourth personal foul, and Copeland connected on both free throws.
Lamont Hamilton then missed a three at the other end, and Gause’s layup gave The Hall a 60-57 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The Hall put the game away on free throws.
After the game, Roberts summed up the loss with a few choice words.
“That’s life, sometimes your not always going to get what you want,” he said, the disappointment visible in his face. “It’s always hard when you have a lead like that… We’ll get tougher, we’ll get better. We just have to finish off games better. We got careless with the ball, careless with our shots. We just have to be a lot tougher.”
He added, “That’s why basketball is such a great game. It’s never over until it’s over.”
St. John’s is still without star guard Darryl Hill, who’s recovering from injury. Hill is day to day. Roberts explained that he does not want Hill playing until he’s 100 percent.
