St. John’s Upends Albany, 85-57

Wednesday, December 18

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

8:30 p.m.

St. John's University

10-2

Albany

6-7

Albany (NY)

St. John's

12/19/2019 12:07:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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Marcellus Earlington scores 16 points to lift Red Storm to sixth straight victory

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's men's basketball team secured its sixth straight win and its 10^th overall of the season on Wednesday, wrapping a five-game homestand with an 85-57 victory over the University at Albany.

Playing without the services of the team's second leading scorer, Mustapha Heron, the Red Storm (10-2) had four players finish in double figures while eight different Johnnies recorded at least six points.

Marcellus Earlington led the way for St. John's with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting and fell just one rebound shy of his first double-double with a career-high nine boards, six of which came on the offensive glass. Additionally, the sophomore from Stony Point, N.Y., blocked two shots.

Julian Champagnie also had an efficient night from the floor, tallying 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with six rebounds. The freshman from Brooklyn scored 12 of his 14 points in the opening seven minutes of the contest.

Greg Williams Jr. knocked down three 3-pointers en route to a career-high 11 points while Rasheem Dunn finished with 10 points and five assists.

Josh Roberts logged eight points, eight rebounds and four blocks. The effort marked the sophomore's fifth of the season with a career-high four rejections.

The team's leading scorer on the season, LJ Figueroa narrowly missed finishing in double figures, as he posted nine points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Nick Rutherford netted six points, dished out seven assists and came away with three steals while David Caraher chipped in seven points. Damien Sears added four points, three rebounds and two steals in 11 minutes of action.

As a team, St. John's forced 24 UAlbany turnovers, tying a season-high for the Red Storm in that category. The Johnnies converted those chances into 30 points.

St. John's also outscored the Great Danes in the paint by a 54-24 margin and outrebounded UAlbany, 47-30, including 16 offensive boards.

UAlbany converted on three of its first four shot attempts, jumping out an 8-3 lead with just under three minutes gone in the contest. After starting 1-for-7 from the floor, the Red Storm turned the tables, unleashing a 21-0 run to move ahead 24-8 near the midway mark of the half. The Johnnies held the Great Danes without a point for 11:01, forcing eight turnovers during that stretch.

UAlbany snapped the skid with a quick flurry of buckets, but St. John's built its advantage back to 16, 34-18, with just under four minutes to go in the period.

Leading by 13, 35-22, at the break, the Red Storm promptly expanded its lead in the latter stanza, using a 13-5 run to move ahead by 20 with 14:14 to go.

The Great Danes would not get closer than 17 the rest of the way, as the Red Storm ballooned its advantage to as large as 33 down the stretch.

As a team, St. John's shot a season-best 50.7 percent from the floor, including a 30-for-50 showing from two-point range. The Red Storm also matched a season-high with 15 steals and set another with 11 blocks.

The Red Storm will return to action on Saturday, closing out non-conference play with a neutral site showdown against No. 16/17 Arizona at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The game, which is set to tip at 10 p.m. ET, will be broadcast on ESPN2 and 970 AM WNYM.