As St. John’s players walked up to the opening tap, Marvin Clark II was preparing to compete, as usual, with a taller opponent. As he often does, he won the tap — but only to tap the ball out of bounds.
His effort was symbolic of the St. John’s effort of the day in the 85-71 win over (winless) Mount St. Mary’s. St. John’s pushed the ball up court after a rebound or steal all game, only to make a pass that led to a turnover or a poor alley-oop attempt.
It wasn’t until the six minute mark of the second half that the first and only alley-oop attempt was successful.