St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Downs Baruch, 99-49, in Exhibition Contest
10/31/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's men's basketball team kicked off its exhibition season in fine fashion on Monday night, running past Baruch, 99-49, at Carnesecca Arena.
"Overall it was a good effort," said Head Coach Chris Mullin after the game. "Offensively, we shared the ball. We were unselfish. And then defensively for the most part we were active, so it's something good to build on."
Five Johnnies reached double figures, led by Federico Mussini with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including a 3-for-6 showing from beyond the arc. The sophomore guard from Italy also pulled down seven boards, dished out a pair of assists and grabbed two steals.
Bronx native Bashir Ahmed scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half and drained seven of his 11 attempts from the field overall.
Marcus LoVett netted 14 points and distributed a game-high five assists, while Shamorie Ponds added 12 points, six rebounds and a game-high five steals.
"They both have really good instincts on the court," said Mullin of the LoVett-Ponds backcourt duo. "Offensively and defensively they can be pests for the other team, they really can, and I think they really take pride in stopping their guy. I thought they both played well and when I had all three guards in together [along with Mussini], I liked that as well."
Freshman forward Richard Freudenberg impressed in his Carnesecca Arena debut, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.
"He's a mature kid," said Mullin of Freudenberg. "I think making his first few shots helped him, but when he plays to his strengths he's good. I think his game will expand over time, but right now if he gets to open spaces, he'll get his looks and I think he's big and strong so he can help us on the glass and he has a really good IQ both offensively and defensively."
Despite missing his lone shot attempt of the evening, Tennessee transfer Tariq Owens made his presence felt on the boards, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Red Storm proved incredibly efficient on the offensive end, converting on 54 percent (38-of-71) of its tries from the floor and sinking 13 of 14 free throws (93%).
Despite struggling from the floor in the early going and missing its first six field goal attempts, the Red Storm exhibited tremendous pressure on the defensive end, forcing a number of turnovers to keep the game within reach.
With 12:26 to go in the opening half, Freudenberg sparked a St. John's run with a three-ball from the right wing, kicking off a streak that saw the Red Storm score 14 of the game's next 16 points to take a 21-14 lead just over three minutes later.
The Red Storm continued to pull away over the remainder of the opening half, extending its lead to 24, 50-26, at the break, as Freudenberg sliced through the defense and finger rolled one in for two to beat the buzzer.
Ahmed led the way in the opening stanza with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Mussini and Freudenberg both reached double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively, in the game's first 20 minutes. Freudenberg recorded a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the floor during that span.
The backcourt tandem of LoVett and Ponds came alive at the start of the second half, as the pair combined for six-straight points to force an early Baruch timeout. The first-year teammates continued their stellar efforts throughout the latter stanza, combining for 22 second-half points.
From there, St. John's continued to pour it on, eventually extending its lead to as many as 51 in the closing minutes of the contest.
St. John's opens the 2016-17 regular season at Carnesecca Arena on Fri., Nov. 11 when the Red Storm hosts Bethune-Cookman at 9 p.m.
