St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
7-3
Syracuse
7-3
St. John's Defeats Syracuse at Madison Square Garden
12/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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NEW YORK - A spirited St. John's effort electrified Madison Square Garden on Sunday as the Red Storm downed long-time rival Syracuse (7-3) in the 90th edition of the storied college basketball series. Federico Mussini (Reggio Emilia, Italy) led five St. John's double-figure scorers, posting 17 points with five 3-pointers as the Red Storm won its third-straight game before 13,473 fans at MSG and improved to 6-0 at home this season.
"This was amazing," said Mussini. "This was the best win of my life in "The World's Most Famous Arena" so nothing is better than this."
St. John's (7-3) drained 12 3-pointers, shot 50.0 percent from long range and recorded 22 assists in its top offensive performance of the season. Durand Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) posted double-figures for the second time in as many games under the bright lights of "The World's Most Famous Arena." The 6-foot-6 guard finished with 15 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists.
"I truly believe this team can keep getting better," said St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin. "[A win] like this is really important for the guys. It shows them that there is more there, [but] we have to do it together. When you play together and you play well, it's a positive reinforcement."
Sophomore forward Amar Alibegovic (Rome, Italy), the only Red Storm player who appeared in last year's victory that snapped the Orange's 55-game non-conference win streak at the Carrier Dome, delivered an inspiring effort Sunday. Alibegovic scored 15 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the field with three 3-pointers and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench.
"Amar has worked really, really hard. It's more about him getting experience," said Mullin.
Alibegovic brought instant energy in the first half beginning with a two-handed put back slam with less than 10 minutes to play in the stanza. The 6-foot-9 sophomore had seven points during a key 9-2 run that put the Red Storm up seven. A 3-pointer and open court layup sandwiched around a Kassoum Yakwe (Bamako, Mali) layup gave St. John's a 22-15 lead at the 7:43 mark.
"It's been some time since I played like this and it was mostly all coming out at once," said Alibegovic. "It was just pure adrenaline and I was just doing what I felt in the moment."
Syracuse countered with a 7-0 run with five points from senior guard Michael Gbinije, who finished with a game-high 21, to tie the game at 22. Then with 5:09 left in the first half, Tyler Lydon sank a 3-pointer to give the Orange what would be its last lead of the game, 25-24.
Mussini buried his first of three 3-pointers over the final 4:41 on the ensuing possession to lead St. John's into the break with a 40-31 advantage.
Yakwe went to work in the second half scoring 11 of his 15 points to help the Red Storm's advantage balloon to 13. The 6-foot-7 freshman shot 5-for-6 at the free-throw line to go with three rebounds and two blocks in 23 minutes.
Graduate student Ron Mvouika (Paris, Francis) was equally impressive, posting 10 points, seven rebounds and a game-high five assists. Mvouika made his first four shots of the game, none bigger than his 3-pointer 40 seconds into the second half that jumpstarted St. John's 63.6 percent (7-for-11) shooting effort from downtown the rest of the way.
The Red Storm never allowed its lead to get below seven, thanks in part to its perimeter defense that limited the Orange to 5-of-26 (19.2 percent) beyond the arc. Syracuse shot 1-for-12 from 3-point territory and 57.1 percent (12-for-21) at the line in the second half.
St. John's opened a 79-66 advantage with 4:14 remaining after hitting five free-throws and Mussini nailed his fifth 3-pointer. Six quick points by Syracuse trimmed the lead to seven, but the Red Storm converted five more free-throws in the final minute to seal a 12-point win over Syracuse for the second-straight year. It was the first time since the 1992-93 season that St. John's notched consecutive victories over the Orange.
Yankuba Sima (Girona, Spain), a 6-foot-11 freshman center, collected eight rebounds to contribute to St. John's dominant 50-36 advantage on the glass. Sima finished with nine points, two assists and increased the second highest block total in the nation to 36 with a game-high three rejections.
"It was a big win for us. We just have to build off it," said Johnson. "This one was definitely good for our confidence. We're ready to get back to work and keep improving."
St. John's returns to action on Friday to host Incarnate Word in Queens. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. with the national telecast airing on FS1.
