St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Faces Butler Saturday at Carnesecca Arena
2/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's returns to Carnesecca Arena Saturday to host Butler on FSN at 4:30 p.m. Locally, the live telecast will air on MSG Network with Brian Custer and Vin Parise calling the action for FOX Sports. St. John's IMG Radio broadcast with John Minko and Pat O'Keefe can be heard on 570 AM WMCA, SiriusXM channel 81 or through the TuneIn App.
After consecutive contests against top-6 nationally ranked opponents, the Red Storm is back in action in Queens where the team has won four games this season. St. John's (7-16, 0-10) looks to bounce back from its fourth BIG EAST setback by eight points or less after being edged by No. 6/5 Xavier, 90-83, Wednesday before a capacity crowd at the Cintas Center.
St. John's used its top all-around performance in conference play to take the nationally-ranked Musketeers to the wire. Senior guard Felix Balamou (Conakry, Guinea) exploded for a career-high 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting to lead the team's highest scoring performance (83) and best shooting effort (45.7 pct) against BIG EAST competition.
The Red Storm led by as many as four in the second half and kept within striking distance until the final minute. Durand Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) poured in 18 points, while Ron Mvouika (Paris, France) added 10 points.
Freshman Kassoum Yakwe (Bamako, Mali) continues to impress on both ends of the court, contributing 14 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and two steals against Xavier in his seventh-straight start. Since entering the starting lineup on Jan. 9, the 6-foot-7 forward has averaged seven points, eight rebounds and over four blocks per game.
The Red Storm will try to capitalize on the home court advantage before entering a two-game road stretch. Butler (15-7, 4-6) brings a 2-4 road record to New York but is coming off an 11-point win over Georgetown on Tuesday at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Kelan Martin recorded a career-high 35 points and eight rebounds against the Hoyas.
In order to add a win to the ledger Saturday, St. John's will have to slow down the Bulldogs' offense that leads the BIG EAST with an 81.2 scoring average and 47.4 percent shooting from the field. The Red Storm has put up solid defensive numbers at Carnesecca Arena this season, holding opponents to 65.9 points per game and a 39.0 field goal percentage.
About the Series with Butler
- St. John's and Butler meet for the seventh time in series history.
- The Red Storm won the first three meetings of the series and the Bulldogs have won the last three contests.
- St. John's defeated Butler, 78-68, in their first meeting on March 13, 1958 at Madison Square Garden in the NIT.
