St. John’s Knocks Off Saint Peter’s, 79-69

Tuesday, December 3

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

6:30 p.m.

St. John's University

7-2

Saint Peter's

1-4

Saint Peter's

St. John's

12/3/2019 9:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Red Storm Secures Wire-to-Wire Victory Over Peacocks on Tuesday at Carnesecca Arena

QUEENS, N.Y. – Playing its final tune-up before the team's Saturday date with undefeated West Virginia at Madison Square Garden, the St. John's men's basketball team withstood a late Saint Peter's run to down the Peacocks, 79-69, at Carnesecca Arena.

St. John's (7-2) led by as many as 25 with eight minutes to play before a 19-2 Saint Peter's run cut the deficit to just six in the game's final minute.

LJ Figueroa led three St. John's players in double figures with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 2-of-4 showing from three. The junior wing from Lawrence, Mass., made all five of his free throw attempts and also tallied six boards, three assists and three steals.

Mustapha Heron, the team's leading scorer this season, finished with 17 points while freshman Julian Champagnie registered his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Brooklyn native also dished out a season-high three assists and blocked a shot.

Sophomore forward Josh Roberts posted four points to go along with eight rebounds and four blocks. Roberts' four rejections marked the fourth time this season the Troy, Ala., native has set or matched his career high in a single game.

David Caraher added an efficient eight points on 3-of-4 shooting while Marcellus Earlington chipped in six points.

Nick Rutherford and Rasheem Dunn finished with five assists apiece, as the Johnnies recorded 24 helpers on 29 made baskets. It marked the Red Storm's second-straight 20-plus assist effort after tallying 23 dimes on Saturday against Wagner.

The Johnnies turned on the jets early, using a 20-2 run to take a 28-6 lead near the midway mark of the opening period. Heron and Champagnie both scored all eight of their first-half points during that spurt to start the game.

That 22-point lead would mark the largest of the first half for St. John's, as Saint Peter's (1-4) whittled the deficit down to as little as 12 in the closing minutes of the period.

Leading by 14, 47-33, at the break, St. John's quickly built its advantage back to 20 on the other side of the intermission and led by as many as 25, 68-43, with 8:10 to go in the game.

Trailing by 23 with 6:32 left in the second half, Saint Peter's scored 19 of the game's next 21 points to pull within six, 75-69, with 65 seconds remaining on the clock.

With the Red Storm edge now down to just a possible pair of possessions, St. John's got a key stop and Figueroa sank all four of his free throw attempts in the final 30 seconds to preserve the win.

The Johnnies will make their 2019-20 Madison Square Garden debut on Saturday afternoon, welcoming undefeated West Virginia to Midtown for a 12 p.m. tip in the inaugural BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. Tickets are available for purchase by visiting RedStormTix.com.