St. John's University Athletics
Wednesday, December 19
Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)
6:30 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
St. Francis Brooklyn
St. John’s Continues Homestand against St. Francis Brooklyn
12/18/2018 5:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Red Storm will welcome second-straight interborough foe to Carnesecca Arena
QUEENS, N.Y. – Off to the program's best start in 36 years, the St. John's men's basketball team will put its undefeated record on the line Wednesday night when it plays host to the Terriers of St. Francis Brooklyn at 6:30 p.m.
The contest will be broadcast live nationally on FS1 and will be carried over the airwaves locally on 570 AM WMCA. Brian Custer and Tarik Turner will handle the broadcasting duties on FS1 while John Minko and Vin Parise will have the call on WMCA.
One of just nine undefeated teams remaining in Division I, the Red Storm (10-0) will look to build upon its best start since 1982-83. Led by sophomore sensation Chris Mullin, that team tied a school record with 14-consecutive wins to open the season before eventually capturing the program's first BIG EAST Tournament title. This year's squad is just the seventh in the 112-year history of St. John's Basketball to start a campaign with at least 10-striaght victories and only the third to do so since 1950.
In terms of overall win streaks, the Red Storm's current 10-game tear is the first to reach double digits since the 1985-86 team won 12-straight during December and January. Led by National Player of the Year Walter Berry, that squad won 31 games en route to St. John's second BIG EAST crown in four years.
St. John's enters its tilt with St. Francis Brooklyn (7-4) on the heels of a victory over another New York City foe, downing Wagner, 73-58, on Sunday evening at Carnesecca Arena. In that win, Shamorie Ponds came close to achieving something not accomplished by a St. John's player in two decades, falling one rebound shy of a triple-double with 16 points, 14 assists, nine boards and just one turnover. The last Johnnie to record a triple-double, Ron Artest, did so on Jan. 9, 1999, against Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden. Ponds' 14 helpers shattered his previous career high of 10 and were the most by a St. John's player since Omar Cook dished out 15 against Connecticut on Jan. 6, 2001. Only two players in St. John's history, Cook and Mark Jackson, have recorded 15 or more dimes in a single game. For his efforts, Ponds was rewarded with a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll and took home player of the week accolades from the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. Entering Tuesday night's slate of games, Ponds ranks third in the BIG EAST in scoring (21.0 ppg) while leading the conference in assists (5.8 apg) and steals (2.6 spg).
Far from the only Johnnie to enjoy a recent string of success, Ponds leads a St. John's squad that features four players in double figures and five averaging 9.5 points per game or better. LJ Figueroa, a junior college All-American in 2018, currently leads the team in rebounding at 7.2 boards per game and ranks second in scoring with 15.7 points per outing. The Lawrence, Mass., native has reached these numbers in an incredibly efficient fashion, pacing the team and ranking 10th in the BIG EAST with a 56.5 field goal percentage.
Over his last three games, redshirt senior forward Marvin Clark II has also been a beacon of efficiency, averaging 16.0 points per game on 66.7 percent shooting from the field (16-of-24) and a 57.1 percent success rate (8-of-14) from three-point range. The second-year Johnnie is also averaging 7.5 rebounds per showing in his last two outings.
St. Francis Brooklyn enters Wednesday's contest having won two-straight and five of its last six, including a 56-53 win over Saint Peter's on Saturday afternoon.
Three Terriers are averaging double figures, led by sophomore guard Jalen Jordan at 16.5 points per game. The Conyers, Ga., native has scored 19 points or more in three of his last four outings, including a pair of consecutive 21-point performances against UMass Lowell and Saint Peter's.
St. Francis Brooklyn Head Coach Glenn Braica is no stranger to Carnesecca Arena, having served as an assistant at St. John's under Norm Roberts from 2004-10.
The Red Storm and the Terriers will meet for the 79th time in the history of the two programs on Wednesday. The Johnnies carry a 66-12 advantage all-time into the matchup, including a 63-56 victory in the teams' most recent contest on Dec. 6, 2015, at the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival. That victory marked the first for Mullin at "The World's Most Famous Arena" as a head coach.
St. Francis Brooklyn is St. John's ninth most frequently played opponent. The teams first met on Jan. 10, 1908, in the fourth recorded game in St. John's Basketball history, a 23-12 win for the Johnnies.
The contest will be broadcast live nationally on FS1 and will be carried over the airwaves locally on 570 AM WMCA. Brian Custer and Tarik Turner will handle the broadcasting duties on FS1 while John Minko and Vin Parise will have the call on WMCA.
One of just nine undefeated teams remaining in Division I, the Red Storm (10-0) will look to build upon its best start since 1982-83. Led by sophomore sensation Chris Mullin, that team tied a school record with 14-consecutive wins to open the season before eventually capturing the program's first BIG EAST Tournament title. This year's squad is just the seventh in the 112-year history of St. John's Basketball to start a campaign with at least 10-striaght victories and only the third to do so since 1950.
In terms of overall win streaks, the Red Storm's current 10-game tear is the first to reach double digits since the 1985-86 team won 12-straight during December and January. Led by National Player of the Year Walter Berry, that squad won 31 games en route to St. John's second BIG EAST crown in four years.
St. John's enters its tilt with St. Francis Brooklyn (7-4) on the heels of a victory over another New York City foe, downing Wagner, 73-58, on Sunday evening at Carnesecca Arena. In that win, Shamorie Ponds came close to achieving something not accomplished by a St. John's player in two decades, falling one rebound shy of a triple-double with 16 points, 14 assists, nine boards and just one turnover. The last Johnnie to record a triple-double, Ron Artest, did so on Jan. 9, 1999, against Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden. Ponds' 14 helpers shattered his previous career high of 10 and were the most by a St. John's player since Omar Cook dished out 15 against Connecticut on Jan. 6, 2001. Only two players in St. John's history, Cook and Mark Jackson, have recorded 15 or more dimes in a single game. For his efforts, Ponds was rewarded with a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll and took home player of the week accolades from the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. Entering Tuesday night's slate of games, Ponds ranks third in the BIG EAST in scoring (21.0 ppg) while leading the conference in assists (5.8 apg) and steals (2.6 spg).
Far from the only Johnnie to enjoy a recent string of success, Ponds leads a St. John's squad that features four players in double figures and five averaging 9.5 points per game or better. LJ Figueroa, a junior college All-American in 2018, currently leads the team in rebounding at 7.2 boards per game and ranks second in scoring with 15.7 points per outing. The Lawrence, Mass., native has reached these numbers in an incredibly efficient fashion, pacing the team and ranking 10th in the BIG EAST with a 56.5 field goal percentage.
Over his last three games, redshirt senior forward Marvin Clark II has also been a beacon of efficiency, averaging 16.0 points per game on 66.7 percent shooting from the field (16-of-24) and a 57.1 percent success rate (8-of-14) from three-point range. The second-year Johnnie is also averaging 7.5 rebounds per showing in his last two outings.
St. Francis Brooklyn enters Wednesday's contest having won two-straight and five of its last six, including a 56-53 win over Saint Peter's on Saturday afternoon.
Three Terriers are averaging double figures, led by sophomore guard Jalen Jordan at 16.5 points per game. The Conyers, Ga., native has scored 19 points or more in three of his last four outings, including a pair of consecutive 21-point performances against UMass Lowell and Saint Peter's.
St. Francis Brooklyn Head Coach Glenn Braica is no stranger to Carnesecca Arena, having served as an assistant at St. John's under Norm Roberts from 2004-10.
The Red Storm and the Terriers will meet for the 79th time in the history of the two programs on Wednesday. The Johnnies carry a 66-12 advantage all-time into the matchup, including a 63-56 victory in the teams' most recent contest on Dec. 6, 2015, at the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival. That victory marked the first for Mullin at "The World's Most Famous Arena" as a head coach.
St. Francis Brooklyn is St. John's ninth most frequently played opponent. The teams first met on Jan. 10, 1908, in the fourth recorded game in St. John's Basketball history, a 23-12 win for the Johnnies.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Men's Basketball
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