St. John's University Athletics
Wednesday, December 5
Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)
6:30 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Mount St. Mary's (Md.)
St. John’s to Welcome Mount St. Mary’s on Wednesday
12/4/2018 4:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Johnnies to kick off five-game homestand on FS2
QUEENS, N.Y. – Fresh off a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Georgia Tech in Miami this past weekend to remain unbeaten, the St. John's men's basketball team will kick off a five-game homestand at Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday night, playing host to Mount St. Mary's at 6:30 p.m.
The game will be carried live nationally on FS2 and locally on 970 AM WNYM. Dave Sims and Tarik Turner will handle the broadcasting duties on television while John Minko and Brandon Tierney will call the action over the airwaves.
One of the nation's 11 remaining unbeaten squads, the Red Storm is off to its first 7-0 start in more than two decades. The first Red Storm team to win its opening seven games since 1994-95, this year's Johnnies will look to become the first St. John's squad since 1990-91 to start a campaign with eight-straight wins. Led by junior Malik Sealy, the 1990-91 team, which rose as high as no. 5 in the country and reached the Elite Eight, went a perfect 9-0 in non-conference action before dropping its BIG EAST opener in overtime at No. 3 Syracuse. Only 16 teams in the 112-year history of St. John's Basketball have started a season 8-0 or better.
Two veteran guards helped key the Red Storm's thrilling come-from-behind win over Georgia Tech, as Justin Simon scored 11 of his season-high 13 points in six and a half minutes to trim the deficit to single digits before Shamorie Ponds took over the game. The junior guard scored 19 of his season-high 37 points in the final 12 minutes of regulation, including a personal 9-0 run to put the Johnnies ahead for good with three and a half minutes remaining. The Red Storm trailed by as many as 16 with just over 16 minutes to go.
For his efforts, Ponds found a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor for the second time this season. The Brooklyn native may have locked up a second-straight BIG EAST Player of the Week honor had Marquette's Markus Howard not gone off for 45 points in the Golden Eagles' win over No. 12 Kansas State that same day. Ponds, who ranks third in the BIG EAST and 21st nationally in scoring at 22.4 points per game, has scored 33 or more in three of his last four outings and has eclipsed the 20-point plateau five times in just seven opportunities this season. The team leader in assists at 4.6 per contest, Ponds also paces the BIG EAST and ranks ninth nationally with 2.7 steals per game.
Two other Johnnies enter the team's longest homestretch of the season averaging double figures, as Mustapha Heron (16.7 ppg) and LJ Figueroa (15.4) have both found their scoring touches early in their St. John's careers. Heron, a Second Team All-SEC selection at Auburn last season, has scored 20 or more three times this season while Figueroa, a First Team NJCAA All-American last year at Odessa College, leads the team in field goal percentage (52.1%), rebounding (7.1 rpg) and double-doubles (2).
While St. John's has yet to lose a game this season, Mount St. Mary's is still looking for its first win of 2018-19. Tuesday's matchup against the Johnnies will be the Mountaineers' seventh road contest in its first eight games.
St. John's and Mount St. Mary's boast one common opponent in Loyola Maryland. The Red Storm opened up the campaign with a 76-55 victory over the Greyhounds at Carnesecca Arena, while the Mountaineers dropped their most recent decision, 75-65, in Baltimore on Saturday.
The Mountaineers feature two players in double figures, led by sophomore guard Jalen Gibbs at 16.9 points per game.
The two teams will renew a series that has been long dormant when they square off on Wednesday night. St. John's and Mount St. Mary's last met in February of 1928, a 37-27 shootout victory for the home side at St. John's Gym in Brooklyn. The Johnnies hold a 4-1 advantage all time over Mount St. Mary's in five games played between 1911-1928.
The game will be carried live nationally on FS2 and locally on 970 AM WNYM. Dave Sims and Tarik Turner will handle the broadcasting duties on television while John Minko and Brandon Tierney will call the action over the airwaves.
One of the nation's 11 remaining unbeaten squads, the Red Storm is off to its first 7-0 start in more than two decades. The first Red Storm team to win its opening seven games since 1994-95, this year's Johnnies will look to become the first St. John's squad since 1990-91 to start a campaign with eight-straight wins. Led by junior Malik Sealy, the 1990-91 team, which rose as high as no. 5 in the country and reached the Elite Eight, went a perfect 9-0 in non-conference action before dropping its BIG EAST opener in overtime at No. 3 Syracuse. Only 16 teams in the 112-year history of St. John's Basketball have started a season 8-0 or better.
Two veteran guards helped key the Red Storm's thrilling come-from-behind win over Georgia Tech, as Justin Simon scored 11 of his season-high 13 points in six and a half minutes to trim the deficit to single digits before Shamorie Ponds took over the game. The junior guard scored 19 of his season-high 37 points in the final 12 minutes of regulation, including a personal 9-0 run to put the Johnnies ahead for good with three and a half minutes remaining. The Red Storm trailed by as many as 16 with just over 16 minutes to go.
For his efforts, Ponds found a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor for the second time this season. The Brooklyn native may have locked up a second-straight BIG EAST Player of the Week honor had Marquette's Markus Howard not gone off for 45 points in the Golden Eagles' win over No. 12 Kansas State that same day. Ponds, who ranks third in the BIG EAST and 21st nationally in scoring at 22.4 points per game, has scored 33 or more in three of his last four outings and has eclipsed the 20-point plateau five times in just seven opportunities this season. The team leader in assists at 4.6 per contest, Ponds also paces the BIG EAST and ranks ninth nationally with 2.7 steals per game.
Two other Johnnies enter the team's longest homestretch of the season averaging double figures, as Mustapha Heron (16.7 ppg) and LJ Figueroa (15.4) have both found their scoring touches early in their St. John's careers. Heron, a Second Team All-SEC selection at Auburn last season, has scored 20 or more three times this season while Figueroa, a First Team NJCAA All-American last year at Odessa College, leads the team in field goal percentage (52.1%), rebounding (7.1 rpg) and double-doubles (2).
While St. John's has yet to lose a game this season, Mount St. Mary's is still looking for its first win of 2018-19. Tuesday's matchup against the Johnnies will be the Mountaineers' seventh road contest in its first eight games.
St. John's and Mount St. Mary's boast one common opponent in Loyola Maryland. The Red Storm opened up the campaign with a 76-55 victory over the Greyhounds at Carnesecca Arena, while the Mountaineers dropped their most recent decision, 75-65, in Baltimore on Saturday.
The Mountaineers feature two players in double figures, led by sophomore guard Jalen Gibbs at 16.9 points per game.
The two teams will renew a series that has been long dormant when they square off on Wednesday night. St. John's and Mount St. Mary's last met in February of 1928, a 37-27 shootout victory for the home side at St. John's Gym in Brooklyn. The Johnnies hold a 4-1 advantage all time over Mount St. Mary's in five games played between 1911-1928.
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