St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Wagner
Roberts Era Starts with 79-68 Win Over Wagner
11/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2004
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The St. John's University men's basketball team opened up the 2004-05 regular season with a 79-68 win over Wagner this afternoon at Alumni Hall, giving head coach Norm Roberts his first career victory.
"I'll put the game ball (given to Roberts by sophomore captain Lamont Hamilton) in a special place in my home," Roberts said. "It's a good win and people will see there's a light at the end of the tunnel. It's a long tunnel but our fans will get excited about this group. It doesn't mean we're going to win every night, but we're going to compete hard every night."
The game was tied at seven early in the first half, but the Red Storm put together a 14-0 run over the next 4:39 to open up a quick 21-7 lead. They continued to hold a double-figure lead into the half, as a three-pointer by junior Ryan Williams (Queens, NY/Cardozo) with 11 seconds left, opened up a 43-27 halftime advantage.
St. John's (1-0) extended the lead to 16 early in the second half, but Wagner used a 14-2 run midway through the second frame to cut the deficit to 54-50 with 11:58 remaining.
That's when junior Rodney Epperson (Queens, NY/Midland Texas J.C.) found sophomore Daryll Hill (Queens, NY/Cardozo) for a huge three-pointer that ended the streak and gave the Red Storm a comfortable working margin at 57-50.
Hill led the Red Storm with 20 points, shooting 8-for-15 from the field, while adding five assists and five rebounds. Hill was one of four St. John's starters, who posted double-figure scoring performances, as freshman Dexter Gray (Mount Vernon, NY/ Mount Vernon) added 17, Hamilton (Brooklyn, NY/North Bridgton Maine Academy) posted 13 and Epperson chipped in 12 points. Epperson added a team-high seven rebounds, while freshman Eugene Lawrence (Brooklyn, NY/Lincoln) tied for a team-best with five assists.
For the game, St. John's shot 54.1 percent from the field (33-for-61).
The Red Storm return to the court on Tuesday, November 23, when they face St. Francis (NY) at 7:30 pm. St. John's University will dedicate the Alumni Hall floor renaming it Carnesecca Court in honor of Hall of Fame Coach Lou Carnesecca.
For more information on St. John's Athletics visit us on our website at www.redstormsports.com or call our 24-hour hotline at 1-888-GO-STORM.
