Fordham

Fordham dominates St. John’s at Rose Hill Gym

December 3, 2015 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

Fortunately or nnfortunately I had to miss the game the yesterday so I can’t comment on the usual post game positives and negatives. However here is the post game press release from the University.

BRONX, N.Y. (Dec. 2, 2015) – St. John’s played Fordham even in the second half, but a 16-point halftime deficit proved too much to overcome as the Red Storm lost, 73-57, at Rose Hill Gym on Wednesday.

Felix Balamou (Conakry, Guinea) matched a career-high with 14 points and dished out a team-best five assists to pace St. John’s (4-3), while Christian Jones (Arlington, Texas) finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Kassoum Yakwe (Bamako, Mali) played 18 minutes in his collegiate-debut and contributed nine points to go with three rebounds.

Ryan Rhoomes had a 26-point, 12-rebound double-double to lead Fordham (5-1). Jon Severe and Mandell Thomas added 14 points apiece for the Rams. Fordham shot 50.0 percent (16-of-32) in the first half and finished at 44.8 percent (26-of-58) from the floor overall.

“They played with force, got all the 50/50 balls, and made a lot of hustle plays,” said St. John’s Head Coach Chris Mullin. “All the credit goes to Fordham.”

Fordham jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and did not trail in the contest. After Yakwe registered his first-career points, sinking a pair of free throws with 11:46 to go in the half, Durand Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) added a jumper and Ron Mvouika (Paris, France) drained a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to one, 14-13, at the 10:12 mark.

The Rams responded, however, as Thomas made a 3-pointer on three-consecutive possessions to jumpstart a 12-2 run. Balamou cut the deficit to nine with a pair of free throws, but a quick 7-0 spurt gave Fordham a 16-point cushion and the home squad took a 41-25 lead into halftime.

St. John’s eventually made it a 12-point game with 10:57 to play after a Federico Mussini (Reggio Emilia, Italy) 3-pointer and a pair of Mvouika free throws, but the Red Storm could not get closer. Fordham answered with a 12-3 run to put the game out of reach as St. John’s had its four-game win streak snapped in the series with the Rams.

“It was a tough game on the road,” said Balamou. “[When you have] 19 turnovers in college basketball it’s tough to win. We didn’t play well, but we just have to go back to work and get ready for the next game.”

St. John’s makes its first Madison Square Garden appearance of the season on Sunday as the Red Storm battles St. Francis Brooklyn at 11 a.m. as part of the MSG Holiday Festival.

Game Preview: St. John’s travels cross borough to Bronx to meet Fordham

December 2, 2015 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

The hangover from Thanksgiving is finally over and St. John’s is back on the hardwood to face off against the Fordham Rams. It’s been 7 days since the Red Storm played Chaminade in the Maui Invitational.

Despite the time off the Red Storm are still expected to be without Malik Ellison (ankle) and Darien Williams (shoulder). Despite being without these two players the Red Storm will gain a fresh body in Kassoum Yakwe who was unexpectedly cleared by the NCAA on Nov 25th. Felix Balamou will also be back in the lineup after missing 1 game due to a foot injury.

Game Info

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Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Location: Rose Hill Gym, Bronx, NY
Time: 7:00 PM EST
TV: A10 Network (online only)
Radio: 570 WMCA

Key Matchup

Federico Mussini vs Mandell Thomas

Fordham is led by senior Mandell Thomas who enters the game extremely hot averaging 18ppg. On the flip side freshman Federico Mussini has led the Red Storm this season averaging 17ppg. Will the experience of Thomas outweigh the talent of Mussini? Can Mussini out duel the New York native?

Keys to Victory

Crack Fordham’s chip- Fordham’s roster is filled with New York players who were passed up by Big East schools and most noticeably St. John’s. Other New York schools have a chip on their shoulder and really get up to play St. John’s. The Red Storm need to be assertive early and weather the early adrenaline of Fordham until their chip eventually cracks.
Be more physical- It seems to be like a theme every game but the Red Storm need to be more physical. St. John’s needs to make everything uneasy for Fordham with a real focus on rebounding the basketball on the defensive end.
Play at your pace- St. John’s can not let Fordham speed them up with full court pressure. The Red Storm need to play in control and take care of the basketball in their own backcourt. This can be aided by by playing good defense, forcing misses, and rebounding the basketball. If Fordham starts making shots early (shooting 50% as a team on the season) then they will be able to set up their defense which could cause problems for the Johnnies on the road.
Work inside, out- St. John’s has done a great job of establishing a post presence early in games and running their offense through Yankuba Sima and even Christian Jones. This shouldn’t change and the Red Storm need to attack Ryan Rhoomes and Christian Sengfelder.Photo by Anthony Gruppuso © USA TODAY Sports Images.

St. John’s Returns To MSG For Holiday Festival Meeting With Fordham

December 17, 2011 by Jaden Daly Leave a Comment

Twelve days ago, St. John’s dropped their third straight game when they fell to Detroit on the road. Since then, the atmosphere around the Red Storm program has underwent a complete 180.

Shortly following the Detroit game, point guard Nurideen Lindsey announced his intentions to transfer once final exams were completed at the end of the semester. With Lindsey on the verge of departing, Phil Greene will likely see the lion’s share of the minutes at the point starting today as St. John’s takes the court for the first time in twelve days when the Red Storm hosts Fordham in the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. Once a two-day tournament, the Holiday Festival is now a one-day soiree; and the Johnnies will have revenge on their minds against Fordham, who erased a 21-point deficit with two 16-0 runs in the second half to upset St. John’s on their home court in the Bronx one year ago. The Red Storm then used that game as motivation for their captivating run through the Big East into the NCAA Tournament. Below, JohnnyJungle.com helps you get caught up on all the background information heading into the long-anticipated rematch in midtown Manhattan.

Date: Saturday, December 17, 2011
Location: Madison Square Garden; New York, New York
Time: 2:30 PM EST
TV: MSG Plus (Mike Crispino, Brandon Brown)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
WFUV 90.7 FM, wfuv.org (Kyle Kesses, Ricky Cibrano)
Online: WSJURadio.org (Mike Rossillo, Kieran Lynch)

St. John’s Red Storm (4-5)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin (2nd season, 25-17; 170-95 overall)

Projected Starting Lineup:
G Phil Greene (6-2 Fr., 6.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 39% FG, 71% FT, 1.8 APG, 1.0 SPG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 13.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 35% FG, 32% 3pt, 82% FT, 1.3 APG, 1.4 SPG)
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 6.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 56% FG, 44% 3pt, 41% FT, 1.0 SPG)
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 11.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 51% FG, 76% FT, 1.1 BPG)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 14.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 43% FG, 64% FT, 1.3 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.8 SPG)

Key Reserves:
G Malik Stith (5-11 Jr., 3.7 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 43% FG, 40% 3pt, 71% FT, 1.7 APG)

Keys To Victory:
– Good things come in small packages. Not in terms of height, but numbers. Now that Nurideen Lindsey is on his way out, St. John’s will be employing a six-man rotation until Amir Garrett is declared eligible. Garrett will not be able to suit up until Wednesday at the earliest, so the Red Storm will have an even shorter bench for at least one game should Lindsey not play. With that being said, the margin for error decreases just as much. In order for the Red Storm to walk out of the Garden winners, they need to cut down on their average of 14 turnovers per game; and only two players in the rotation have more assists than turnovers.

– Greene means go. Phil Greene has had some of the greatest moments of his young career inside Madison Square Garden, and the Chicago native returns to the “World’s Most Famous Arena” with the keys to the Red Storm offense following the Lindsey transfer announcement. Greene’s primary assignment will likely be fellow freshman Devon “Fatty” McMillan in defensive matchups, with Branden Frazier perhaps moving over from his position off the ball. Against a Fordham team that is susceptible to yielding the open shot, Greene and D’Angelo Harrison will likely be the targets early and often.

– Take advantage of the mismatch. Fordham will likely start three guards, but Chris Gaston is a small forward that is forced into the power forward spot due to the Rams’ undersized roster. This lack of height will give God’sgift Achiuwa the chance to exploit a small Fordham lineup and beat Gaston into the low post. Sir’Dominic Pointer gives up two inches to the 6-7 Gaston, but has the athleticism and speed to cut the New Jersey product off inside if need be as well.

Coming over the Triboro Bridge and into Midtown looking for their second consecutive win over St. John’s are the pride of the Bronx.

Fordham Rams (4-5)
Head Coach: Tom Pecora (2nd season at Fordham, 11-26; 166-152 overall)

Projected Starting Lineup:
G Devon McMillan (5-10 Fr., 11.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 33% FG, 63% FT, 3.3 APG, 2.0 SPG)
G Branden Frazier (6-1 So., 10.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 38% FG, 56% FT, 2.8 APG, 1.7 SPG)
G Bryan Smith (6-2 Fr., 9.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 39% FG, 31% 3pt, 50% FT, 1.6 APG, 1.7 SPG)
F Chris Gaston (6-7 Jr., 14.6 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 40% FG, 75% 3pt, 55% FT, 1.0 APG, 1.9 BPG, 1.3 SPG)
F Kervin Bristol (6-10 Sr., 4.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 52% FG, 40% FT, 2.1 BPG)

Key Reserves:
G Alberto Estwick (6-3 Sr., 3.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 34% FG, 25% FT)
F Marvin Dominique (6-7 So., 3.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 47% FG, 83% FT)

Keys To Victory:
– Score. Plain and simple. Fordham has only eclipsed 70 points twice this season, whereas St. John’s has done so in four games. However, the Red Storm have yet to top the 70-point plateau since scoring 72 in the losing effort against Arizona one month ago at the Garden. The offensive dropoff on the part of the Red Storm gives Fordham an additional glimmer of hope, but the Rams’ 38 percent clip from the field will need to be improved against a St. John’s team that can and will hit an open shot if given the opportunity.

– Combo guards. Freshman Devon “Fatty” McMillan and sophomore Branden Frazier both have the ability to run the point for Tom Pecora, but only Frazier has demonstrated an equal talent to excel off the ball. Frazier, who committed to Hofstra last season only to follow Pecora to Fordham once he took the job there in March of 2010, was a huge factor in the Rams’ upset win at Rose Hill Gym against the Red Storm last year, tallying 16 points and five assists despite early foul trouble.

– Win the battle of the boards. Pecora’s team has done that on average this season, outrebounding their opponents by a slim 38-37 margin. A major part of that is forward Chris Gaston, who needs 11 rebounds today to average a double-double for the season. Gaston’s innate ability to track down the ball wherever it may be on the court gives him the advantage against a rather inexperienced duo of God’sgift Achiuwa and Moe Harkless, both of whom are still adjusting to the style of play in their first seasons at the Division I level.

So, Who Wins?
Fordham will be looking to prove that last year was no fluke. The homecourt advantage that was so deeply in their favor twelve months ago at Rose Hill is gone, replaced by the bright lights of Madison Square Garden and the memories of Red Storm magic created within the past year. Malik Stith may be the only member of the team still around for St. John’s, and there is no doubt that the junior guard remembers the image of Fordham fans rushing the court in the wake of the Rams’ 84-81 victory last season. This game won’t be the prettiest one you’ll see this year, but sometimes the game is a war. It will be a lot closer than people think now that St. John’s has a smaller bench than they have been accustomed to, but Goliath gets his revenge on David this time around only because Fordham is still a work in progress.

Final Score: St. John’s 71, Fordham 61

St. John’s Headlines New-Look Holiday Festival

June 13, 2011 by Jaden Daly Leave a Comment

It’s just not a college basketball season unless the Holiday Festival is headlined by the St. John’s Red Storm inside the venerable confines of Madison Square Garden.

Fortunately for college basketball purists and old-school fans, history will once again be repeating itself, as the boys from Queens will take their talents to midtown Manhattan in what will be the second trip to the Garden for the youngest squad in program history. Most of these players will be making their debuts inside the home of the New York Knicks one month prior as part of the culmination of the 2K Sports Classic, an event that will also include Arizona, Mississippi State and Texas A&M.

Following a two-day confluence in which Steve Lavin’s NCAA Tournament participants first disposed of Davidson in a hard-fought nonconference matchup, the reigning Holiday Festival champion Red Storm will take the court at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” against Fordham University on December 17th.

Though the roster will feature just one player from 2010-2011, the Red Storm will be looking to erase the memory of a shocking upset loss to the Rams that, ironically, ended up being the turning point of last season’s miraculous run.

Rutgers will face Stony Brook in the second half of the Garden doubleheader on the 17th, but there will be no consolation or championship game the following day. As reported via Twitter yesterday by college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, the Holiday Festival will now be a one-day event, as opposed to the tournament-style affair it had earned its name and reputation as, in the past.

One benefit of this one-day format is that it will give all four schools the opportunity to play a game at Madison Square Garden and avoid the letdown of losing both contests that has been felt by some teams in past Holiday Festival. However, the opportunity for teams to say they played two games inside one of the most recognizable venues in the world has been taken away.

In addition, a traditional Holiday Festival setup could have potentially provided an intriguing matchup between St. John’s and Rutgers before the two teams collided in a Big East matchup in Piscataway. Adding to the fire would be the fact that the Red Storm and Scarlet Knights would be facing each other for the first time since the controversial ending to their Big East tournament meeting last March. As if anyone needed a reminder, in last year’s game, Justin Brownlee appeared to step out of bounds and travel while throwing the ball into the crowd in a sequence that was ignored by the officials and subsequently criticized as a result.

Though the Holiday Festival is no longer a conventional tournament, one thing remains the same: All four programs will still get the opportunity to show their stuff to the Madison Square Garden crowd. Four local schools inside the Mecca of basketball eight days before Christmas; it simply doesn’t get much better than this for big-time college basketball fans.

A Hardy Day’s Night

December 21, 2010 by Jaden Daly 1 Comment

It’s becoming standard practice for St. John’s lately. If the game is still up in the air inside the final minute, turn to Dwight Hardy. Fortunately, the Bronx native delivered once again with another unflappable performance resulting in a Red Storm win.

Hardy’s 12 points, including three free throws in the final 16.8 seconds, provided just enough cushion for the Johnnies (6-3) to defeat Davidson (5-4) 62-57 in the Holiday Festival semifinals at Madison Square Garden. Next up for St. John’s will be undefeated Northwestern, (8-0) who dominated St. Francis in a matchup that the Terriers started strong in before Northwestern asserted themselves on the way to a 92-61 victory that continued the Wildcats’ best start in 17 years.

While Hardy was the go-to guy in the clutch, there were other players instrumental in the win for St. John’s, which snapped a demoralizing two-game skid caused by losses to St. Bonaventure and Fordham. D.J. Kennedy turned back the clock with a vintage performance from “The Hitman,” scoring 17 while falling just one rebound short of a double-double. “It took us a while to get over the Fordham loss,” stated Kennedy. “I took it personally to step up and get a win.” Joining Kennedy in the effort were Justin Brownlee, who added another double-figure game to his ledger (11 points) and Paris Horne, who made up for a six-point outing with an emphatic blocked shot to end the first half, one where Davidson led 27-24.

Brendan McKillop paced Davidson with 17 points and Jake Cohen added 14 of his own for the Wildcats, who were done in by turning the ball over 19 times. However, St. John’s committed an unusually high amount of errors themselves with 15 turnovers. Davidson stayed within reach throughout despite the numerous miscues, and were done in with 4.4 seconds remaining when McKillop missed a three that would have tied the game at 60. Hardy picked up the rebound and was immediately fouled, and his two foul shots that followed iced it for the Johnnies.

The Holiday Festival resumes tonight with Davidson and St. Francis taking the court in the consolation game that will precede the championship matchup in which St. John’s looks to not only claim its first championship in their host tournament since 2005, but also to hand Northwestern their first loss of the season.