St. John's University Athletics
St. Johns Escapes Exhibition with 91-85 Win
11/15/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
We came out healthy, we kept Reggie (Jessie) out of the game and he should 100 percent and ready for Saturday, St. Johns Head Coach Mike Jarvis said. We didnt play very well on defense, but we won, and well take that.
Jessie sat out Tuesdays exhibition with a bruised left heel, but is expected to return for Saturdays game against Stony Brook.
Trailing by 10 points early in the second half, 52-42, the Red Storm outscored Maccabi 12-2 over a 4:37 span to tie the game at 54-all. St. Johns took its first lead since early in the first half, 56-54, on a pair of free throws by junior forward Anthony Glover (Bronx, N.Y./Rice). The Red Storm were able to extend the margin to six points, 66-60, on a pair of free throws from sophomore guard Alpha Bangura (Lanham, Md./Roosevelt), but Maccabi scored six consecutive points, four on layups by St. Johns alum Charles Minlend, to the game at 66-all.
The game was tied at 75-all, the fifth of the game, when freshman forward Kyle Cuffe (Bronx, N.Y/Rice) hit a layup and freshman guard Omar Cook (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) forced a turnover and brought it down for a dunk, giving St. Johns an 80-77 lead. Cook hit four free throws, freshman guard Willie Shaw (Bronx, N.Y/John F. Kennedy) added three and Glover iced the game with two more in the final two minutes, giving St. Johns the win.
St. Johns took its first lead of the game on a three-pointer by Shaw nearly four minutes into the game, and the Red Storm extended the lead to three points, 11-8, on a layup from Glover. Maccabi, however, quickly jumped out to a 13-11 lead on a three-pointer from former Southwestern Louisiana star Aaron Mitchell with 14:16 left in the half. Maccabi led the rest of the entire half, using a 7-0 run over a 1:31 span to take a 38-30 lead on a Mitchell three-pointer with 4:09 to play. A late spurt by the Red Storm cut the halftime margin to three points, 43-40.
The Red Storm put six players in double figures, led by Shaws 21 points. Glover added 17 and six rebounds, Cook had 13, eight assists and five steals, junior Sharif Fordham (Far Rockaway, N.Y./Milford Academy) added 11 points and Bangura chipped in 10 points.
St. Johns returns to action on Saturday, playing Stony Brook at 7:30 p.m. at Alumni Hall. The game will be televised on WLNY TV and can be heard on WFAN AM-660.
