St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Begins Two-Game Homestand with DePaul
2/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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QUEENS, N.Y. -- St. John's plays its final game at Carnesecca Arena Wednesday when the Red Storm hosts DePaul at 8 p.m. The nationally televised contest will air on CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz, Doug Gottlieb and sideline reporter Jamie Erdahl on the call in Queens. St. John's IMG Radio broadcast can be heard on Sirius channel 108 and XM channel 202, as well as through the TuneIn app and RedStormSports.com.
The Red Storm is coming off a hard-fought effort at No. 1/1 Villanova on Saturday, battling the Wildcats deep into the second half before 18,052 fans at the Wells Fargo Center. Sophomore Amar Alibegovic (Rome, Italy) and freshman Malik Ellison (Voorhees, N.J.) helped fuel an inspiring performance against the top-ranked team in the nation providing key minutes off the bench. Alibegovic erupted for a career-high 18 points and Ellison had 11 points as the underclassman duo combined for six of the team's 10 3-pointers.
Ellison along with fellow freshman Kassoum Yakwe (Bamako, Mali) have shined for the Red Storm as of late, while managing the rigors of BIG EAST play on the backend of the conference slate. In the past three games, the rookie tandem has led the team in scoring with Yakwe averaging 10.3 points and Ellison 9.3 points. They have a combined 57.6 percent (19-of-33) field goal shooting mark.
St. John's returns to the familiar confines of Carnesecca Arena for the first time in 11 days after back-to-back road contests. The Red Storm has earned four wins inside its historic on-campus venue, and in these contests held opponents to 53.2 points per game and a 31.2 field goal shooting percentage. Another freshman, Federico Mussini (Reggio Emilia, Italy), has played some of his best basketball in Queens as he enters Wednesday's contest averaging a team-high 15.0 points per game at Carnesecca Arena.
In order to come away with its first conference victory of the season, St. John's (7-19, 0-13) will have to find a way to slow down DePaul's (8-16, 2-10) top scorers Myke Henry (14.7 ppg) and Billy Garrett Jr. (13.0 ppg), who also ranks in the top-10 in the BIG EAST with 3.6 assists per game. The Blue Demons dropped their last two contests and have gone 3-7 in road games this season.
Prior to Wednesday's contest, St. John's fans are invited to the inaugural Red Storm Rally from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Taffner Fieldhouse which features free food, contests, giveaways and performances. A game ticket is required for admission.
Three-time NBA champion and St. John's legend Bill Wennington will also be in attendance Wednesday. The first 5,000 fans to enter Carnesecca Arena will receive a commemorative Wennington bobblehead and St. John's will honor the 13-year NBA veteran during the game. Wennington is one of only nine players in program history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks during his career.
About the Series with DePaul
- St. John's owns a 19-16 record versus DePaul, including an 11-5 mark as BIG EAST rivals.
- The Red Storm has won 10 of the last 12 meetings with the Blue Demons dating back to 2009.
- St. John's has won six-straight home games versus DePaul, including an 86-78 victory in their last meeting on Feb. 11, 2015 at Carnesecca Arena.
