Throughout the common season, Butler proved to be a thorn within the aspect of No. 6 St. John’s.
Though the Johnnies (28-4) swept the season sequence, the Bulldogs (14-19) twice gave St. John’s a scare as each video games got here all the way down to the wire.
Thursday was a lot, a lot totally different.
Prime-seeded St. John’s totally dominated ninth-seeded Butler in its 78-57 win within the Huge East Match quarterfinal at Madison Sq. Backyard, leaning on a smothering protection to advance to Friday’s semifinal spherical.
St. John’s will face the winner of Thursday afternoon’s recreation between fourth-seeded Xavier and fifth-seeded Marquette.
The Purple Storm’s hyper-aggressive, Huge East-best protection imposed its will as soon as once more Thursday, holding Butler to 19-of-55 (34.5%) from the sphere whereas forcing 15 turnovers. St. John’s by no means trailed within the recreation.
A day after he gained Huge East Participant of the Yr, St. John’s guard RJ Luis Jr. led all scorers with 20 factors on 8-of-18 capturing. Luis has now scored not less than 20 factors in 4 consecutive video games and in six of the final eight.
The junior guard additionally operated as the first defender on Butler star Pierre Brooks II, who, after main Butler with 25 factors a day earlier, slumped to solely 5 factors on 1-of-10 capturing Thursday.
Walter Berry, the 1985-86 Huge East Participant of the Yr who was the final St. John’s participant to win the award, was within the constructing to witness Luis’ newest excellence.
St. John’s additionally obtained 15 factors, eight rebounds and 9 assists from Kadary Richmond, who 5 days earlier turned the primary Purple Storm participant to document a triple-double since Ron Artest in 1999.
Aaron Scott added 15 factors and 5 steals in 21 minutes.
Butler discovered itself at a near-immediate drawback when Jahmyl Telfort, the Huge East’s eighth-leading scorer, drew his second foul on the 17:55 mark of the primary half, forcing head coach Thad Matta to place him on the bench.
The Bulldogs’ offense was non-existent with out him, managing solely three factors with the senior ahead out of the sport.
They trailed, 15-3, when Telfort checked again in additional than 4 minutes later, and had been down 18-3, when Telfort scored his first factors greater than eight minutes into the sport.
Telfort completed with 11 factors on 3-of-10 capturing.
Failing to choose up the slack for Brooks, the Huge East’s Eleventh-leading scorer, whom St. John’s held and not using a level till he made a pair of free throws with 4.9 seconds left earlier than halftime.
With the 6-7 Luis hampering him, Brooks started the sport 0-of-8 from the sphere, together with 0-of-5 within the first half. He missed all 5 of his 3-poin makes an attempt.
St. John’s led by as many as 17 factors within the first half and went into the break up 37-26.
Butler had superior to Thursday’s quarterfinal with a 75-69 win over Windfall in Wednesday’s opening spherical. St. John’s didn’t play Wednesday after incomes a first-round bye.
St. John’s beat Butler, 70-62, at Carnesecca Area in a January recreation wherein the Bulldogs trailed by solely three factors with underneath three minutes remaining. The Purple Storm then eked out a 76-70 victory in Indianapolis final month in a recreation wherein Butler trailed by two factors with a few minute remaining.
Thursday’s recreation marked the groups’ first assembly this season on the Backyard, the place St. John’s improved to 10-0.
The win continued a storybook season for the resurgent Purple Storm, who gained the college’s first outright regular-season convention championship since 1985.
That is the second yr in a row that St. John’s superior to the Huge East Match semifinal. It misplaced in that spherical final yr to eventual champion UConn, successfully ending the Johnnies’ hopes of constructing the 2024 NCAA Match.
Earlier than final yr, St. John’s had not been to the Huge East Match semifinal since 2000.
That was additionally the final time St. John’s gained the Huge East Match — the newest drought that St. John’s hopes to finish.
