It was crunch time, and St. John’s needed a basket. So, of course, the ball found its way to Dylan Darling.
The backup point guard has a knack for coming up big in the clutch. It happened recently in come-from-behind wins over Xavier and Seton Hall, and again Friday night.
Darling’s stepback 3-pointer with 3:13 remaining pushed the Johnnies’ lead to five, and on the following possession he found Zuby Ejiofor in the lane for a basket. Those plays proved crucial in No. 22 St. John’s pulsating 81-72 win over third-ranked UConn at a sold-out Garden.
“His level of wanting to take over a game is amazing to me,” coach Rick Pitino said. “He breaks a play and goes to the rim, makes a great steal and goes to the floor, makes a big 3. It’s really amazing what he’s doing right now.”
Darling scored all nine of his points and dished out both of his assists in the second half.
He was also terrific defensively, helping the Red Storm force 15 Connecticut turnovers.
“He’s a great point guard. That guy is a heckuva player,” Connecticut coach Dan Hurley said. “When they need that guy to step up, he made a huge difference in that game.”
After the Xavier win, when Darling hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute, Pitino said his point guard has “balls as big as church bells.”
Following this victory, the Hall of Fame coach returned to the subject: “They keep growing and growing.”
St. John’s enjoyed a decided edge in free-throw attempts, 31-12.
Hurley took a few subtle jabs at the officiating, but mostly held back.
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“Will you pay the fine?” he asked one reporter when asked about the lopsided differential.
Pitino moved into a tie with Roy Williams for third place on the all-time win list with his 903rd victory. He will go for 904 on Monday against his son Richard and Xavier.
St. John’s has beaten Connecticut three times in a row for the first time since 1999-2000.
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