DePaul Downs No. 24/23 St. John’s, 79-71

Saturday, January 12

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

6:00 p.m.

St. John's University

14-3, 2-3BE

DePaul

10-5, 2-2BE

DePaul

St. John's

1/12/2019 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Quotes Photo Gallery VIDEO - Solly Walker Ceremony VIDEO - Postgame Press Conference

St. John’s matches season-low offensive output without its leading scorer

Playing without the services of Shamorie Ponds, the No. 24/23 St. John's men's basketball team failed to fend off DePaul on its home floor, dropping a 79-71 decision to the Blue Demons at Carnesecca Arena.

Trailing by just one at the half, St. John's (14-3, 2-3 BIG EAST) saw the Blue Demons pull away on the other side of the break before a late Red Storm run cut the deficit to five with less than a minute to go. The two teams were tied at 39 with 14:30 to play before DePaul outscored the Red Storm 31-19 over the next 11 minutes.

Ponds, who failed to dress for the fourth time in his St. John's career due to a strain in his lower back, ranked third in the BIG EAST with 20.6 points per game entering the weekend. He also topped the league in assists (6.0 per game) and steals (2.7 per game) while placing second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.9-to-1). Without Ponds controlling the offense, St. John's lost the turnover battle for the first time this season, coughing up 11 possessions while forcing just nine DePaul turnovers.

Marvin Clark II registered the second double-double of his collegiate tenure, posting 14 points and a career-high 12 boards. The Michigan State transfer also recorded two steals.

LJ Figueroa sank nine of his 14 tries from the floor, including a 3-of-5 showing from three-point range, to finish with a team-high 23 points. The former junior college All-American also dished out three assists and grabbed three rebounds in 37 minutes.

Justin Simon netted a season-high 20 points after turning in a 10-of-16 effort from the field. He also tallied a game-high seven assists.

Mustapha Heron also finished in double figures with 11 points on the evening.

Long Island native Femi Olujobi poured in 27 points and corralled eight boards to lead the Blue Demons to their second-straight win. Paul Reed (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Max Strus (14 points, 12 rebounds) posted double-doubles for DePaul.

DePaul (10-5, 2-2 BIG EAST) attempted 28 free throws while the Red Storm recorded just six tries from the charity stripe on its home floor. On the game, fouls were 21-9 in favor of the Blue Demons.

Ahead 12-10 following a Simon jumper with 13:37 to go in the opening stanza, DePaul scored five unanswered to take a seven-point lead, its largest lead of the half, with just under 12 minutes to play in the period.

Trailing by that same seven-point margin, 21-14, two minutes later, the Johnnies kept the Blue Demons off the board for the next 4:18, rattling off an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 22-21, on a Simon drive with 5:45 to play in the period.

Down one, 31-30, at the break, St. John's reclaimed the lead on the opening possession of the second half thanks to a Heron jumper.

With the game tied at 39 five minutes later, DePaul unleashed a 13-4 run to take its largest lead of the game to that point, 52-43, with just over 10 minutes to play in regulation.

Trailing 58-49 with 8:20 to go, Clark ripped off five-straight points to cut the lead to four and force a DePaul timeout. The Blue Demons then outscored the Johnnies 12-4 over the next four minutes to take its largest lead of the contest, 70-58, with 3:30 to play.

The Red Storm returns to action on Wednesday night, playing host to Creighton at 6:30 p.m. on FS1 and 970 AM WNYM.

ST. JOHN'S HONORS SOLLY WALKER

Prior to the game, St. John's honored the legacy of the late great Solly Walker by renaming the athletic department's academic study hall in his memory. Walker, the first African-American to suit up for the Red Storm, played a key role on St. John's teams that reached the 1952 Final Four and the championship game of the 1953 NIT. After graduation, Walker embarked on a long and successful career in education, dedicating decades of his life as a teacher and principal in the New York City public school system. An unmatched ambassador for St. John's University throughout his life, Walker, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 85, always took a particular interest in the academic accomplishment of Red Storm student-athletes.

The University also celebrated the creation of the Solly Walker Academic Support Services Fund, developed and funded by the Shannon Family and dedicated to providing financial support for the continued success of St. John's student-athletes on and off the fields of competition.