GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT

St. John’s69

Tennessee55

ANCHORAGE – St. John’s is not a great shooting team. It is not a great rebounding team. It does not get to the foul line enough.

But opposing teams should heed this warning. In the arctic cold of Alaska, St. John’s showed it can apply blistering defensive heat.

Led by the oppressive backcourt tandem of Marcus Hatten and Tristan Smith, St. John’s ran Tennessee off the court 69-55 in the Sullivan Arena yesterday in a consolation game of the Great Alaska Shootout.

“That’s as quick as we’ve gone against,” said Tennessee coach Buzz Peterson.

Hatten, who tied Bernard Rencher’s school record of eight steals in a game, set in 1980 against UConn, and who set a tournament record with 16 thefts in three games, combined with Smith to force the Vols into 25 percent shooting and 14 turnovers in the first half.

St. John’s opened a 40-19 lead by unleashing some serious city ball.

“It was extremely fun,” said Smith. “That’s the way that any backcourt would like to play. Things like getting steals and easy baskets, who doesn’t [like that]? It’s tremendous for us.”

St. John’s went 2-1 in the tournament and upped its record to 3-1. But of most importance, the Red Storm learned that in freshmen Smith, who made his first career start, and Eric King, there are two more real players on the roster.

Nine players got at least 13 minutes, led by Hatten, who had 21 points, eight steals, seven assists, four rebounds and left coach Mike Jarvis calling for a locksmith.

“I’ll tell you what, I’m going to buy a couple of extra padlocks for my house when I go home because he’s got some pretty good hands, boy,” said Jarvis. “Man, those hands are something else.”

So is the poise with which Smith (nine points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals) plays.

So is the improved defense that Abe Keita (six rebounds, four blocks, one steal) provides.

So is the all-around athleticism that King (seven points, three boards, two steals and one assist) offers.

After the 65-58 loss to Gonzaga, Jarvis said he thought St. John’s had the potential to be an exceptional defensive team. The Storm broke out to an 11-0 lead against Gonzaga before suffering a second-half meltdown that allowed the Zags to shoot 61 percent in the second half of a 65-58 win.

In Friday’s consolation round game against Oregon State, the Red Storm suffered a six-minute brain spasm. This time there was only one minor let-up. Tennessee got within 61-53 with 3:13 left before St. John’s closed with an 8-2 spurt.