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St. John’s wins an ugly one against Niagara 48-44

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It wasn’t pretty but a win is a win, right? At least that is what you want to take away from a game like this. The Red Storm were once again plagued by turnovers committing 18 against an anemic Niagara defense. A lot of self inflicted wounds (offensive fouls, bad passes, careless dribbling) helped prevent St. John’s from scoring 50 points.

Positives:

  • St. John’s won.
  • Yakwe was halfway to a triple double. 5 points, 5 rebounds, 5 blocks
  • The student turnout was great. A lot of student groups were there for a promotion but wise of the school to run it for a game scheduled on a Wednesday at 5:00pm.
  • Mussini led the team in scoring and finally found a barbershop.

Negatives:

  • The team committed a ton of turnovers.
  • Sima failed to log 20 min of play.
  • The team had no ball handler any time Mussini sat.
  • Shot 33%
  • Carnessecca Arena made fans sweat. How is there no A/C?

Overall

The team didn’t play with fire needed to compete against better teams. However with a young team you’re happy to win these type of ugly games instead of losing them. Chris Mullin continues to mix it up with his fashion. He wore a red polo because he didn’t own any other red shirts and wanted to participate in the “Red Out”.

St. John’s hosts Niagara in Carnesecca Double-Header

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Photo Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

QUEENS, N.Y. (Dec. 8, 2015) – Nearly three weeks since knocking off Rutgers in a thriller at Carnesecca Arena, St. John’s returns to its on-campus home Wednesday for a 5 p.m. meeting with Niagara on FS1 as part of a Red Storm doubleheader. The St. John’s women’s basketball team will square off with Yale in the nightcap on ESPN3. The programs are calling for a “RED OUT” at Carnesecca Arena. Fans are asked to wear red to participate in a special evening planned for the St. John’s community.

Justin Kutcher and Jim Spanarkel are on the call for FS1’s national broadcast of the 100th all-time meeting between St. John’s and Niagara. John Minko and Brandon Tierney can be heard on the St. John’s IMG Radio Network broadcast airing on 970 AM WNYM.

St. John’s (5-3) opened the season with three-straight wins at Carnesecca Arena. The Red Storm has not allowed more than 59 points and has limited opponents to a 33.2 field goal shooting percentage inside the historic venue this season.

Led by a near triple-double by Felix Balamou (Conakry, Guinea) and team-high 13 point performances from freshman Federico Mussini (Reggio Emilia, Italy) and Yankuba Sima (Girona, Spain) in the team’s last contest in Queens, the Red Storm battled back from a 16-point second half deficit to upend Rutgers, 61-59, in the inaugural Gavitt Tip-Off Games on Nov. 19. Since then, St. John’s youthful roster has been tested by nationally-ranked programs and in tough road venues before picking up its fifth win of the season Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Sima, a 6-foot-11 center from Spain, is coming off a dominant performance that led the Red Storm to its recent 63-56 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn in the Holiday Festival. He produced his first-career double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds), while swatting five shots to rise to third in the nation with 3.75 blocks per game and 30 total rejections.

Durand Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) also played a key role in getting St. John’s back on the winning track Sunday. The 6-foot-6 graduate student delivered a career performance with 19 points and shooting 7-for-12 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers. It was his clutch jumper with 30 seconds remaining and just before the shot clock expired that helped St. John’s seal the victory. Johnson has warmed up as of late as he leads the Red Storm over the last three games averaging 14.3 points.

Niagara (3-6) has dropped three of its last four games, including its recent 56-42 loss to Monmouth on Sunday. The Purple Eagles are St. John’s most frequently played non-conference opponent and make the trip to Queens for the second-straight year. Matt Scott leads Niagara averaging 16.6 points and 3.3 assists per game.

About the Series with Niagara

· St. John’s owns a 72-27 all-time record with Niagara in a series that dates back to 1909.
· Niagara is St. John’s most frequently played non-conference opponent.
· The Red Storm has won eight of the past 10 meetings with Niagara, including a 70-57 victory last season.

Shamorie Ponds hits game winner for Jefferson

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Shamorie Ponds of Thomas Jefferson makes a runner in the lane and draws the foul in the closing seconds of Jefferson’s win over Cardinal Hayes in the Big Apple Challenge on Sunday. The basket tied the score at 74 and Ponds made the free throw, giving Jefferson a 75-74 win and capping a thrilling comeback by Jefferson, which trailed by as many as 20 points in the second half. Ponds led all scorers with 26 points.

St. John’s makes Garden debut at Madison Square Garden for Holiday Festival

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QUEENS, N.Y. (Dec. 4, 2015) – Chris Mullin will make his head coaching debut at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” on Sunday when St. John’s meets St. Francis Brooklyn in the MSG Holiday Festival. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. kicking off a college basketball doubleheader at The Garden that also includes Hofstra and Appalachian State.

A national telecast will air on FS1 with Jason Knapp and Ron Thompson on the call. The broadcast is also available through FOX Sports Go. St. John’s IMG Radio broadcast with John Minko and Vin Parise will air on 970 AM WNYM and through the TuneIn app.

St. John’s (4-3) is making its 49th appearance in the Holiday Festival. As a player, Mullin led St. John’s to three Holiday Festival championships when it was a two-day event and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player in 1981. Now patrolling the sidelines, Mullin looks to lead the Red Storm to the program’s sixth straight Holiday Festival victory.

After playing the past four contests on the road, the Red Storm begins a five-game home stretch on Sunday with St. Francis Brooklyn. St. John’s youthful roster will go for the program’s 1,800th win after coming up short of reaching the milestone on Wednesday at Fordham. Felix Balamou (Conakry, Guinea) matched a career-high with 14 points and Christian Jones (Arlington, Texas) added 11 points, but the Red Storm shot 39.5 percent from the field and couldn’t overcome a 16-point halftime deficit.

St. Francis Brooklyn (3-4), led by former St. John’s assistant Glenn Braica, brings a two-game win streak to Madison Square Garden for the 78th all-time meeting between the programs. The Terriers picked up a pair of road victories at Hartford (Nov. 29) and Lafayette (Dec. 2). Senior guard Tyreek Jewell, one of the top returnees from the 2014-15 squad that advanced to the National Invitation Tournament, is the team’s leading scorer with 11.0 points per game.

St. John’s holds a 73-38 all-time record in the MSG Holiday, having regularly appeared in the event since 1952.

About the Series with St. Francis Brooklyn

· St. John’s owns a 65-12 all-time record against St. Francis Brooklyn.
· St. Francis Brooklyn is currently St. John’s ninth-most frequently played opponent with the Red Storm holding a .844 win percentage in the series.
· The Red Storm has won 32 of the last 33 meetings, including the last six contests dating back to 2005.

Is it time to take Durand Johnson out of starting lineup?

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Fifth year senior transfer, Durand Johnson was expected to step in as the go-to scorer for the Red Storm this season. This has not been the case so far. Johnson has struggled mightily shooting 26% and committing 3 turnovers a game. There is no doubt that Johnson can turn it around but should Mullin take him out of the starting lineup until he does? Would the Red Storm be in better shape with Felix Balamou or Malik Ellison in the starting lineup?

If this happened then Johnson would return to a familiar role. Throughout his career at Pitt, Johnson came off the bench for Jamie Dixon.

Head over to the forum to discuss this topic with fellow fans.