Red Storm Returns to Action on Sunday against Wagner

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's men's basketball team will resume its five-game homestand on Sunday afternoon, playing host to Wagner at 4:30 p.m. inside Carnesecca Arena.

The game will be televised nationally on FS1 with Mike Monaco and Jim Spanarkel on the call from Queens. John Minko will handle the play-by-play duties on 970 AM WNYM alongside analyst Brandon Tierney.

Off to the program's first 9-0 start since the Elite Eight season of 1990-91, the Red Storm will look to become the first St. John's team to start a year with 10-straight wins since 1982-83. Led by sophomore Chris Mullin, those Johnnies tied a school record with 14-consecutive victories to kick off the campaign before winning the program's first BIG EAST Tournament title and advancing to the Sweet 16.

Only six teams in the 112-year history of St. John's basketball have begun a season with 10 or more consecutive wins. That 1982-83 squad is the only St. John's team to do so since 1951.

In terms of overall winning streaks, the Johnnies are on the program's first nine-game tear since the Elite Eight season of 1998-99 and are looking to become the first to reach double digits since 1985-86.

The Red Storm can attribute much of its early season success to an uptick in offensive production. After finishing ninth in the BIG EAST last season with 73.1 points per game, the Johnnies currently rank second in the conference with 83.1 points per outing, trailing only Creighton in that category. No St. John's team has averaged more through nine games since 1972-73, when Bill Schaefer averaged 24.7 of the team's 88.3 points per game during a 7-2 start.

St. John's features five players with double figure scoring averages, the only team in the BIG EAST to do so. BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Shamorie Ponds is leading the way for the Johnnies, averaging 21.6 points per game on 53.1 percent shooting to go along with 4.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 steals per contest. The southpaw from Brooklyn currently ranks third in the BIG EAST in scoring, second in assists and first in steals. On Monday, he was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the third time this year, marking the fourth time in just five opportunities that he has received weekly recognition from the league.

Mustapha Heron ranks second on the team and 10th in the conference with 16.2 points per game while fellow first-year Johnnie LJ Figueroa has poured in 15.3 points per outing. The Lawrence, Mass., native and former junior college All-American also leads the team in rebounding with 7.7 boards per game while ranking second in the conference behind Ponds with 1.8 steals per contest.

The veteran duo of Marvin Clark II and Justin Simon has been exhibiting some strong play of late, as Clark is averaging 17.0 points on 70.6 percent shooting over his last two games while Simon has poured in 12.5 points to go along with 5.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per outing during that same stretch.

Wagner (4-4) enters its contest with St. John's on the heels of back-to-back victories, topping American on the road before handily defeating College of New Rochelle last Sunday at home.

Three Seahawks enter the game averaging double figures, led by redshirt senior guard Romone Saunders at 17.6 points per outing. Saunders is also the team's second-leading rebounder at 6.5 boards per contest. AJ Sumbry, a 6-foot-8 transfer from Quinnipiac, is averaging 11.3 points and a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game.

St. John's and Wagner will meet for the 20th time in the history of the two programs on Sunday afternoon. The Johnnies currently hold a 17-2 advantage all-time over the Seahawks with Wagner's last win coming in 1956 at DeGray Gym, the former home of St. John's when the University was located in Brooklyn.

The teams last met in the season opener of the 2015-16 campaign, a 66-57 win for the Johnnies in Mullin's first game as the head coach of his alma mater.

Red Storm Returns to Action on Sunday against Wagner

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Players Mentioned

Marvin Clark II

LJ Figueroa

Mustapha Heron

Shamorie Ponds

Justin Simon

St. John's University Athletics