Data analysis: St. John's Bryce Hopkins rises to the occasion in the second half of games

The phrase “finish strong’ is commonplace in sports. It’s what competitors frequently cite as a goal. And the qualities that go with it are all of high value in any contest: effort, focus and determination.

Forward Bryce Hopkins has come to embody all that for 25th-ranked St. John’s (15-5) as the team has surged to an 8-1 start in Big East play entering Wednesday’s 7 p.m. matchup with Butler (13-7, 4-5) at the Garden.

The 6-7 Hopkins has become a great finisher for the Red Storm, an exceptional second-half player that has been a key to finishing off opponents for wins. The latest example was in Saturday’s 88-83 triumph at Xavier, which gave St. John’s coach Rick Pitino his 900th career win. Hopkins had 14 of his 18 points and six of his eight rebounds during a second half where the Storm overcame a 16-point deficit with 17 minutes to play.

“In crunch time, he’s wanted the ball,” Pitino said Tuesday. “He's taken it to the rim. He's been very strong in our comebacks.”

Asked if he believes in the quality of “clutch” in players, Hopkins responded, “I do feel like some people do have a clutch gene in them, yes . . . I think I do have a little bit of clutch in myself.”

The numbers speak to precisely that.

In the first halves of St. John’s nine Big East games Hopkins averaged 3.9 points. But after halftime the scoring more than doubles to 8.9 points.

With games in the balance after halftime, Hopkins has become a more assertive attacker of the basket and a much more accurate shooter.

Before halftime in Big East play, Hopkins is making 27.9% of his field goal attempts and is 1-for-11 (9.1%) on three-point attempts. After the intermission in those games, he is shooting 50% from the floor and is 4-for-8 (50%) from distance.

Hopkins is also getting to the line more against Big East foes in the second half and shooting free throws better. In the first half he’s gone 10-for-15 on first-half free throws (66.7%) and 22-for-26 (84.6%) on second-half foul shots.

When he was asked if there is something about the sense of urgency that comes in the second half of games, Hopkins replied, “I've been playing basketball for a while at the college level and I feel like I know when to be aggressive, when to look for opportunities to attack the defense and get a good shot.”

“He always gives good effort,” Pitino said of Hopkins production in what he’d termed “crunch time.” “I think he makes some silly fouls early on that gets him into trouble. In the second half, he's not as concerned with that ... Right now it’s too small number of games, but I do think he is playing better basketball.”

Hopkins’ 13.8-point scoring average is second on the Storm to Zuby Ejiofor’s 15.7. But there’s been an obvious uptick in his performance during St. John’s current six-game winning streak. In those games he’s averaged 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

Hopkins, of course, isn’t closing out these Big East wins on his own. Backup point guard Dylan Darling also has emerged as an important part of the Red Storm’s winning endgame.

In Big East play, Darling is shooting over 53% on his three-point attempts and made big plays late in the comeback against Xavier as well as last Tuesday when the Storm overcame a 15-point second-half deficit for a 65-60 win over Seton Hall at the Garden.

“He's got great moxie,” Pitino said of Darling. “He comes off the bench. He has no fear of failure, no fear ... He wants the shot and he wants to go to the rim and he wants to make the big defensive play.”

Mitchell recognized 

Dillon Mitchell was tabbed Tuesday as the Player of the Week by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. In the wins over Seton Hall and Xavier, he averaged 17.0 points on 63.6% (14-of-22) shooting plus 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals.