FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Johnnies Face Local BIG EAST Rival Seton Hall Saturday at MSG
St. John’s Hosts Pirates at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” on Saturday at Noon
Web Releasehttp://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/020917aac.html
QUEENS, N.Y. (Feb. 9, 2017) – The St. John’s men’s basketball team returns to its home court at Madison Square Garden on Saturday to host Seton Hall (15-8, 5-6) for the 97th edition of the storied BIG EAST rivalry. Tip-off is slated for noon inside “The World’s Most Famous Arena” with the live broadcast airing on CBS Sports Network.
CBS announcers Rich Waltz, Doug Gottlieb and sideline reporter Jon Rothstein will call the action for the national telecast. St. John’s IMG Radio Broadcast with John Minko and Brandon Tierney is available through SiriusXM (Sirius channel 108 and XM channel 201) and TuneIn Radio.
St. John’s (11-14, 5-7) enters its contest with the Pirates looking for its third win in the last four home games. After having a week to regroup from last Saturday’s contest at No. 4/4 Villanova, the Johnnies are ready to compete at The Garden for the first time in 10 days since rolling to a 14-point victory over Marquette. The Red Storm was clicking on all cylinders against the Golden Eagles, as it shot nearly 50 percent from the field, drained 10 3-pointers and converted 17 Marquette turnovers into 18 points.
Bashir Ahmed poured in a career-high 23 points against Marquette while the Johnnies’ rookie backcourt of Shamorie Ponds (18) and Marcus LoVett (17) along with sophomore forward Kassoum Yakwe (14) also finished with double figures in the scoring column. Tariq Owens’ contributions in one of the Red Storm’s top all-around performances of the season came on the glass, as the 6-foot-11 sophomore matched a career-high with 11 rebounds.
With only six regular-season games remaining for the Red Storm, Saturday’s showdown with Seton Hall is a pivotal contest as the team jockeys for position in the BIG EAST standings. Tied for sixth in the league standings in the win column, both squads will aim for their sixth conference victory and look to take a step toward solidifying a favorable seed in the BIG EAST Tournament.
St. John’s has relied on a cast of standout first-year Johnnies throughout the grueling conference season. LoVett collected his first BIG EAST Freshman of the Week award on Monday after averaging 20.0 points, 5.5 assists and 3.5 steals in the last two games. Ahmed was also recognized by the conference for his performance against Marquette and Villanova, as the 6-foot-7 wing was named to the league’s weekly honor roll after posting 19.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in two starts.
Ponds, a four-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honoree, has also played a key role in getting the program on an upswing. The Brooklyn native is tied with LoVett for fifth in the conference averaging 17.2 points per game. Ponds has reached the 15-point plateau in each of the last four games and he is on pace to challenge for the program’s freshman scoring record.
St. John’s and Seton Hall previously met on Jan. 22 when the Pirates came away with an 86-73 victory at the Prudential Center. The Johnnies couldn’t find an answer for Pirates’ big man Angel Delgado who went for 21 points and 20 rebounds, one of his 18 double-doubles this season. Delgado leads all of Division I averaging 13.2 rebounds per game.
The Pirates are coming off their second-straight overtime victory after upending Providence, 72-70, on Wednesday in Newark. Freshman Myles Powell hit the game-winning basket with 7.9 seconds remaining and finished with 14 points off the bench.
St. John’s owns a 58-38 advantage in the series with Seton Hall, including a 33-28 mark in BIG EAST play. In the last meeting at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 21, 2016, St. John’s battled back from a 19-point deficit and led by as many as three late in the second half before 13,204 fans at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” The Pirates, however, escaped with a 62-61 victory after a pair of free-throws by Isaiah Whitehead with five seconds remaining.
After Saturday’s matchup with Seton Hall, the Red Storm hits the road for its next two games. St. John’s visits Butler on Feb. 15, which is followed by a trip to Milwaukee to face Marquette on Feb. 21.
Johnnies Face Local BIG EAST Rival Seton Hall Saturday at MSG
St. John’s Hosts Pirates at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” on Saturday at Noon
Web Releasehttp://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/020917aac.html
QUEENS, N.Y. (Feb. 9, 2017) – The St. John’s men’s basketball team returns to its home court at Madison Square Garden on Saturday to host Seton Hall (15-8, 5-6) for the 97th edition of the storied BIG EAST rivalry. Tip-off is slated for noon inside “The World’s Most Famous Arena” with the live broadcast airing on CBS Sports Network.
CBS announcers Rich Waltz, Doug Gottlieb and sideline reporter Jon Rothstein will call the action for the national telecast. St. John’s IMG Radio Broadcast with John Minko and Brandon Tierney is available through SiriusXM (Sirius channel 108 and XM channel 201) and TuneIn Radio.
St. John’s (11-14, 5-7) enters its contest with the Pirates looking for its third win in the last four home games. After having a week to regroup from last Saturday’s contest at No. 4/4 Villanova, the Johnnies are ready to compete at The Garden for the first time in 10 days since rolling to a 14-point victory over Marquette. The Red Storm was clicking on all cylinders against the Golden Eagles, as it shot nearly 50 percent from the field, drained 10 3-pointers and converted 17 Marquette turnovers into 18 points.
Bashir Ahmed poured in a career-high 23 points against Marquette while the Johnnies’ rookie backcourt of Shamorie Ponds (18) and Marcus LoVett (17) along with sophomore forward Kassoum Yakwe (14) also finished with double figures in the scoring column. Tariq Owens’ contributions in one of the Red Storm’s top all-around performances of the season came on the glass, as the 6-foot-11 sophomore matched a career-high with 11 rebounds.
With only six regular-season games remaining for the Red Storm, Saturday’s showdown with Seton Hall is a pivotal contest as the team jockeys for position in the BIG EAST standings. Tied for sixth in the league standings in the win column, both squads will aim for their sixth conference victory and look to take a step toward solidifying a favorable seed in the BIG EAST Tournament.
St. John’s has relied on a cast of standout first-year Johnnies throughout the grueling conference season. LoVett collected his first BIG EAST Freshman of the Week award on Monday after averaging 20.0 points, 5.5 assists and 3.5 steals in the last two games. Ahmed was also recognized by the conference for his performance against Marquette and Villanova, as the 6-foot-7 wing was named to the league’s weekly honor roll after posting 19.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in two starts.
Ponds, a four-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honoree, has also played a key role in getting the program on an upswing. The Brooklyn native is tied with LoVett for fifth in the conference averaging 17.2 points per game. Ponds has reached the 15-point plateau in each of the last four games and he is on pace to challenge for the program’s freshman scoring record.
St. John’s and Seton Hall previously met on Jan. 22 when the Pirates came away with an 86-73 victory at the Prudential Center. The Johnnies couldn’t find an answer for Pirates’ big man Angel Delgado who went for 21 points and 20 rebounds, one of his 18 double-doubles this season. Delgado leads all of Division I averaging 13.2 rebounds per game.
The Pirates are coming off their second-straight overtime victory after upending Providence, 72-70, on Wednesday in Newark. Freshman Myles Powell hit the game-winning basket with 7.9 seconds remaining and finished with 14 points off the bench.
St. John’s owns a 58-38 advantage in the series with Seton Hall, including a 33-28 mark in BIG EAST play. In the last meeting at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 21, 2016, St. John’s battled back from a 19-point deficit and led by as many as three late in the second half before 13,204 fans at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” The Pirates, however, escaped with a 62-61 victory after a pair of free-throws by Isaiah Whitehead with five seconds remaining.
After Saturday’s matchup with Seton Hall, the Red Storm hits the road for its next two games. St. John’s visits Butler on Feb. 15, which is followed by a trip to Milwaukee to face Marquette on Feb. 21.
