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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — When Rick Pitino is at his best, and age 72 hasn’t kept him from being at his best, he can take a team that is The Hunted and transform it into The Hunter.

For 20 minutes, St. John’s played as The Hunted.

The Hunter showed up with a vengeance in the second half. The Real St. John’s, 83-53 winners, showed up in the second half.

That is when every last Johnnie began honoring Pitino’s mandate to remember who they are and play the game as if it were the last game they were going to play.