St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Marist
Epperson, Hill Lead St. John's Past Marist, 74-66
12/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2004
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Sunday, December 19, 2004, Queens, NY -- St. John's junior forward Rodney Epperson scored 26 points and sophomore Darryl Hill added 20, leading St. John's to a 74-66 victory over Marist on Sunday in front of 3,282 fans at Carnesecca Arena.
The win improves the Red Storm to 4-4 overall, while the Red Foxes fall to 4-5.
St. John's led by six points at the half, 31-25, but Marist came out quickly in the second half to tie the game. The teams traded baskets and the Red Foxes tied the game for the fourth time when Will Whittington, who scored a game-high 31 points, hit a three-pointer with 14:39 to play.
The Red Storm followed with a 15-5 run a 6:24 span that gave them a 55-45 lead with 8:02 to play. Hill started the deciding run with a 3-pointer and Epperson added two jumpers in the spurt.
St. John's appeared ready to close out the game in the waning minutes, leading by 11 with just under four minutes left, but back-to-back baskets from Whittington and Ryan Stilphen cut the St. John's lead to five points, 65-60, with 2:10 to play.
Epperson, who connected on 11-of-15 shots from the field, took a pass from freshman Cedric Jackson for a dunk to increase the lead to seven points, 67-60. Hill followed by connecting on five of six free throws, and Epperson hit a pair in the final 1:30 to seal the win.
Whittington was 7-for-14 from 3-point range and had 31 points for the Red Foxes, while Will McClurkin added 12 points.
Marist hit seven of its first 12 shots in taking an 18-11 lead, but the Red Foxes made just one of their next eight as the Red Storm went on a 10-3 run to tie it. Hill had six points as St. John's closed the first half on a 10-2 run to take a 31-25 lead.
It was the first time two St. John's players scored at least 20 points in a game since March 8, 2003 (76-73 win over Miami), a span of 42 games. Sophomore Lamont Hamilton added six points and 10 rebounds, the third time in the last four games he's reached double figures on the boards.
The Red Storm will be off for the Christmas break, and return to play on December 28 against Canisius in the Dreyfus Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. Tipoff is slated for 8:30 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information and statistics on St. John's Athletics, please visit www.RedStormSports.com, or call our hotline at 1-888-GO-STORM.
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