St. John's University Athletics
Saturday, November 25
Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)
7 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Holy Cross
St. John’s Welcomes Holy Cross to Carnesecca Arena on Saturday
11/24/2023 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Red Storm men’s basketball team to host the Crusaders at 7 p.m. on FS2
QUEENS, N.Y. – After going 2-1 and securing third place at the 2023 Charleston Classic, the St. John's men's basketball team returns to Carnesecca Arena on Saturday for a 7 p.m. tilt with Holy Cross.
Saturday's contest between St. John's (3-2) and Holy Cross (2-4) will be broadcast nationally on FS2 with Paul Dottino and Tarik Turner calling the action from Queens. An audio broadcast of the game on the LEARFIELD Red Storm Sports Network with John Minko and Brandon Tierney will also be available on a variety of platforms including the Varsity Network App, TuneIn Radio, RedStormSports.com and the St. John's Red Storm mobile app. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 384 and the SiriusXM App.
St. John's will look to build on its recent success at the Charleston Classic after securing its highest finish in an eight-team, three-game MTE tournament since earning third place at the 2017 AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando. The Johnnies earned wins over 2023 NIT Champion North Texas and Pac-12 foe Utah after solid performances from Joel Soriano and Daniss Jenkins.
Soriano averaged 14.3 points and 12.0 rebounds in three starts at the Charleston Classic. The 6-foot-11 center from Yonkers shot 57.1 percent (16-28 FG) from the field, including a 2-for-2 mark from distance, and sank 13-of-18 attempts (72.2 pct) at the free-throw line. Over the Red Storm's three games in South Carolina, Jenkins led the team with 16.0 points and 6.3 assists in 37.1 minutes per contest.
The Red Storm returns to Carnesecca Arena on Saturday for the first time since a 90-74 season-opening victory over Stony Brook before a sold-out crowd. Soriano led the Johnnies with 22 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks versus the Seawolves in Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino's St. John's debut.
Through five games this season, St. John's tops the BIG EAST and ranks among the nation's best in offensive rebounding and 3-point field goal percentage. The Johnnies rank seventh in Division I averaging 16.6 offensive boards per game. Soriano has been a force on the glass for the Red Storm, posting 11.2 rebounds per contest (8th in Division I), including 4.6 (3rd in Division) offensive rebounds per game. The Johnnies also shooting 39.7 percent from distance, which ranks 24th in the country.
St. John's will meet Holy Cross for the 34th time in a series that began in 1924. The Red Storm has won its last eight contests with the Crusaders, including a 65-53 victory in their last showdown on Nov. 21, 2012. JaKarr Sampson led St. John's with 20 points, while D'Angelo Harrison and Phil Greene IV added 17 and 15 points, respectively. The Johnnies will also look to extend their winning streak against the current members of the Patriot League to 41, which is a stretch that began with a 92-61 victory over American on Dec. 15, 1973.
Selected to finish fourth in the Preseason Patriot League Coaches' Poll, Holy Cross is coming off a 74-61 victory over IUPUI on Sunday at the Rock Hill Classic hosted by Winthrop. Senior guard Joe Octave led the Crusaders with 22 points shooting 6-for-12 from the field with four 3-pointers.
In six starts this season, Octave is averaging a team-high 16.3 points shooting 53.6 percent from the field to go with 6.0 rebounds per contest. Earlier this season, Octave exploded for 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting and 11 rebounds in a 68-67 victory at Georgetown.
Head Coach Dave Paulsen is in his first season with the Crusaders, bringing 27 years of collegiate head coaching experience to Holy Cross after tenures with George Mason, Bucknell, Williams, Le Moyne and St. Lawrence. He previously served as an assistant coach at Fordham for the 2022-23 campaign.
Saturday's contest between St. John's (3-2) and Holy Cross (2-4) will be broadcast nationally on FS2 with Paul Dottino and Tarik Turner calling the action from Queens. An audio broadcast of the game on the LEARFIELD Red Storm Sports Network with John Minko and Brandon Tierney will also be available on a variety of platforms including the Varsity Network App, TuneIn Radio, RedStormSports.com and the St. John's Red Storm mobile app. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 384 and the SiriusXM App.
St. John's will look to build on its recent success at the Charleston Classic after securing its highest finish in an eight-team, three-game MTE tournament since earning third place at the 2017 AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando. The Johnnies earned wins over 2023 NIT Champion North Texas and Pac-12 foe Utah after solid performances from Joel Soriano and Daniss Jenkins.
Soriano averaged 14.3 points and 12.0 rebounds in three starts at the Charleston Classic. The 6-foot-11 center from Yonkers shot 57.1 percent (16-28 FG) from the field, including a 2-for-2 mark from distance, and sank 13-of-18 attempts (72.2 pct) at the free-throw line. Over the Red Storm's three games in South Carolina, Jenkins led the team with 16.0 points and 6.3 assists in 37.1 minutes per contest.
The Red Storm returns to Carnesecca Arena on Saturday for the first time since a 90-74 season-opening victory over Stony Brook before a sold-out crowd. Soriano led the Johnnies with 22 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks versus the Seawolves in Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino's St. John's debut.
Through five games this season, St. John's tops the BIG EAST and ranks among the nation's best in offensive rebounding and 3-point field goal percentage. The Johnnies rank seventh in Division I averaging 16.6 offensive boards per game. Soriano has been a force on the glass for the Red Storm, posting 11.2 rebounds per contest (8th in Division I), including 4.6 (3rd in Division) offensive rebounds per game. The Johnnies also shooting 39.7 percent from distance, which ranks 24th in the country.
St. John's will meet Holy Cross for the 34th time in a series that began in 1924. The Red Storm has won its last eight contests with the Crusaders, including a 65-53 victory in their last showdown on Nov. 21, 2012. JaKarr Sampson led St. John's with 20 points, while D'Angelo Harrison and Phil Greene IV added 17 and 15 points, respectively. The Johnnies will also look to extend their winning streak against the current members of the Patriot League to 41, which is a stretch that began with a 92-61 victory over American on Dec. 15, 1973.
Selected to finish fourth in the Preseason Patriot League Coaches' Poll, Holy Cross is coming off a 74-61 victory over IUPUI on Sunday at the Rock Hill Classic hosted by Winthrop. Senior guard Joe Octave led the Crusaders with 22 points shooting 6-for-12 from the field with four 3-pointers.
In six starts this season, Octave is averaging a team-high 16.3 points shooting 53.6 percent from the field to go with 6.0 rebounds per contest. Earlier this season, Octave exploded for 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting and 11 rebounds in a 68-67 victory at Georgetown.
Head Coach Dave Paulsen is in his first season with the Crusaders, bringing 27 years of collegiate head coaching experience to Holy Cross after tenures with George Mason, Bucknell, Williams, Le Moyne and St. Lawrence. He previously served as an assistant coach at Fordham for the 2022-23 campaign.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
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