St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
No. 9/9 Boston College
Boston College Holds Off St. John's, 79-73
1/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2005
Queens, NY - New York City hadn't had a night like the one they had January 22 in a long time.
For most New Yorkers, it was a day to stay inside, as nearly two feet of snow from a Nor'Easter barreled down on the Metropolitan area. For St. John's basketball fans, however, it was a day when the Red Storm men's basketball team would host a top-10 team for the first time in 25 years at Carnesecca Arena.
A gritty and determined St. John's team gave undefeated and ninth-ranked Boston College all it could handle, but the Eagles were able to hang on for a 79-73 win in front of 4,679, many of them on-campus students who made for a raucous atmosphere.
A dunk by St. John's junior Ryan Williams (Queens, NY) cut the Boston College lead to eight points, 68-60, but after a timeout, Jared Dudley, who scored a team-high 19 points, hit a jumper and pushed the lead back to 10 points. St. John's would pull to within seven points on three occasions, but could not get any closer.
Dudley had 19 points and eight rebounds while Jermaine Watson added 16 to lead five players in double figures for Boston College (16-0, 5-0 BIG EAST), one of three undefeated teams left in the country.
Dudley, who is the reigning Big East Player of the Week, scored seven of the Eagles' first nine after the break when Boston College opened a 48-44 lead.
The Red Storm (7-8, 1-4) were within 53-48 with less than 12 minutes remaining before Watson took over. He scored eight points during a 14-6 surge that boosted the Eagles to a 67-54 lead with just under six minutes left.
Boston College made 7-of-10 free throws in the final minute to hold off a late St. John's charge. Although their lead was cut to 45-44 after intermission, the Eagles led throughout the second half for the first time in conference play.
The Red Storm made their first seven shots and took an early 16-7 lead. Sophomore Daryll Hill (Queens, NY) scored the final four points of that burst and finished with 21 points.
St. John's returns to action on Tuesday night, playing at Georgetown. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at the MCI Center. The game will be shown live on the Metro Channel, and can be heard on 1560 AM Radio Disney.
