FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
St. John’s Visits Prudential Center Wednesday
Red Storm Faces Seton Hall at 7 P.M. on FS1
Web release: http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/012616aaa.html
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QUEENS, N.Y. (Jan. 26, 2016) – St. John’s heads to the Prudential Center Wednesday to square off with Seton Hall (13-6, 3-4) for the first regular-season meeting between the original BIG EAST programs. FS1 will carry the national telecast live from Newark with Tim Brando and Donny Marshall on the call for a 7 p.m. tip. St. John’s radio broadcast can be heard on 570 AM WMCA with John Minko and Brandon Tierney.
The Red Storm enters the contest in search of its first conference victory of the year, while the Pirates are also hungry for a win after dropping four of the last five. St. John’s (7-13, 0-7) is coming off another spirited effort Sunday in Queens that the youthful club can build on. A resilient second half comeback bid by the Red Storm pushed the game to the wire before narrowly falling to Marquette. St. John’s nearly erased a 20-point second half deficit, creating an opportunity to tie the game in the closing seconds with a hurried 3-point attempt that was off the mark.
Despite the results, St. John’s freshmen continue to show promise for the future, beginning with Federico Mussini (Reggio Emilia, Italy) who poured in all 19 of his points in the second half against the Golden Eagles to fuel the comeback attempt. Mussini, the only Red Storm player to start all 20 games, has quickly emerged as one of the top newcomers in the BIG EAST. The 6-foot-1 guard boasts a team-high 13.2 points per game, which is the second highest scoring average among freshmen in the conference.
Freshman Kassoum Yakwe (Bamako, Mali) also continues to rapidly develop, especially over the last four games where he has played extended minutes in the absence of injured freshman center Yankuba Sima (Girona, Spain). The 6-foot-7 forward has averaged a team-high 8.8 rebounds and 5.0 blocks to go with 6.0 points per game during this stretch. Yakwe delivered another signature performance versus Marquette recording seven points, eight rebounds and seven blocks, the seventh-highest single game block total in program history.
The Pirates return to the Prudential Center where the team holds an 8-2 record this season. Led by an all sophomore starting lineup, Seton Hall exemplifies the value of collegiate experience to talented newcomers. After losing nine of the last 10 games of the 2014-15 campaign, The Hall produced an 11-2 non-conference mark this season, including an overtime win over Wichita State. Before the team’s recent two-game skid, falling to consecutive AP Top-5 BIG EAST opponents (Villanova and Xavier), the Pirates notched a resume building road win at then-No. 12 Providence.
Led by Isaiah Whitehead’s 15.5 points per game, Seton Hall sophomores have accounted for 76 percent of the team’s scoring offense. Khadeen Carrington (14.9 ppg) and Desi Rodriguez (12.3 ppg) are also averaging double-figures, while Angel Delgado has nearly averaged a double-double (9.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg) this season.
Wednesday’s contest begins a new chapter for one of the most storied BIG EAST rivalries. The majority of the St. John’s roster will be facing Seton Hall for the first time, and among the three returnees Amar Alibegovic (Rome, Italy) is the most experienced seeing nine minutes of action in his first career start last season against The Hall on Feb. 21, 2015.
About the Series with Seton Hall
· St. John’s faces Seton Hall for the 94th time in series history.
· The Pirates are St. John’s fifth most frequently played opponent. The Red Storm has won four of the last five meetings.
· St. John’s won the last meeting on Feb. 21, 2015 in Queens. Sir’Dominic Pointer led the Red Storm with a double-double (22 points, 10 rebounds).
