St. John's University Athletics
Saturday, December 23
Hartford, Conn. (XL Center)
8 p.m.
St. John's University
at
No. 5/5 UConn
St. John’s to Face No. 5/5 UConn Saturday in Hartford on FOX
12/22/2023 1:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Red Storm men’s basketball team squares off with the Huskies at 8 p.m. inside XL Center
QUEENS, N.Y. – Fresh off its second straight wire-to-wire victory, the St. John's men's basketball team (8-3, 1-0 BIG EAST) will look to extend its win streak to three when it faces defending National Champion No. 5/5 Connecticut (10-2, 0-1 BIG EAST) inside XL Center at 8 p.m. Saturday on FOX.
FOX Sports announcers Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson are on the call for the national primetime telecast. An audio broadcast of the game on the LEARFIELD Red Storm Sports Network with John Minko and Tarik Turner 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 388 and the SiriusXM App.
St. John's has won six of its last seven games, including its most recent 15-point victory over Xavier on Wednesday at Carnesecca Arena. Senior center Joel Soriano led the charge with 18 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks and five assists as the Red Storm improved to a perfect 4-0 in Queens this season. The Red Storm big man also tallied his 1,000th career rebound in the victory.
The Red Storm put forth its second-straight stellar defensive effort as the Musketeers shot just 34.9 percent (22-63 FG) from the field and a season-low 19.0 percent (4-21 3FG) from distance. St. John's also forced Xavier into 18 turnovers while Soriano registered six of the team's eight blocks and set a career high.
Since giving up a 10-point second half advantage in an 86-80 setback against Boston College on Dec. 10, the Red Storm has not trailed in a contest thanks in part to its success on the defensive end of the floor. Over its two-game win streak, the Johnnies have held its opponents to a 30.3 field goal shooting percentage, including a 6-for-39 effort (15.4 pct) from 3-point territory. The Johnnies have averaged 7.5 blocks with Soriano responsible for 4.5 per contest.
Offensively, Soriano (19.0 ppg), Chris Ledlum (12.0 ppg) and Nahiem Alleyne (11.0 ppg) have averaged double figures over the last two games. The trio has shot 52.5 percent (32-61 FG) from the field and 80.9 percent (17-21 FT) at the free throw line during the recent win streak.
Saturday's contest marks the fifth different arena the Johnnies will compete in over their last six games. St. John's began this stretch with a 79-73 victory at West Virginia on Dec. 1. Soriano went for 24 points while Ledlum registered 17 points and 10 rebounds in the team's lone true road game of the season.
St. John's split its regular season series with Connecticut last season as both teams earned road victories. In its last trip to Hartford on Jan., 15, 2023, the Red Storm rallied for an 85-74 victory over the No. 6/7 Huskies at the XL Center. Soriano scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half to snap UConn's 15-game home win streak that dated back to the 2021-22 season. UConn countered with a 95-86 victory on Feb. 25, 2023 at Madison Square Garden. Soriano, who is the only current member of the Red Storm to appear in either contest, finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the last meeting at The Garden.
The Johnnies enter their first BIG EAST road game of the season ranked second in the nation averaging 17.2 offensive rebounds per contest. Soriano has helped lead the way with a team-best 4.7 offensive boards per game, which ranks third in Division I. St. John's also ranks top-30 in Division I in blocks (5.6 bpg, 16th), rebounds (41.6 rpg, 28th) and assists (17.4 apg, 28th). Daniss Jenkins has been the team's lead facilitator and ranks 22nd in the nation with 5.9 assists per contest.
Original members of the BIG EAST, St. John's and Connecticut will meet for the 69th time in a series that began in 1951. The Johnnies lead the series 37-31, including a 32-28 mark in league play, but the Huskies have taken three of the last five meetings.
Connecticut had its three-game win streak snapped on Wednesday with a 75-60 setback at Seton Hall in its BIG EAST opener. Tristen Newton led the Huskies with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers.
UConn returns to the XL Center for the first time since Nov. 24 when it rolled to a 30-point win over Manhattan. The Huskies are 3-0 in Hartford this season and has averaged 94.7 points shooting 55.4 percent from the field at its off-campus home court. Cam Spencer has paced the Huskies in scoring at the XL Center this season as the graduate transfer from Rutgers is averaging 18.3 points in three starts.
The Huskies lead the BIG EAST and rank top-20 in Division I with a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio (9th) and 18.2 assists per contest (17th). Newton (5.6 apg) and Spencer (3.6 apg) have combined for over 50 percent of the team's assists this season.
Newton also leads the Huskies averaging 16.3 points per game while Spencer (14.8 ppg) Alex Karaban (14.7 ppg) are close behind in the scoring column.
After its matchup with Connecticut, the Red Storm has an extended break before returning to action on Dec. 30 against Hofstra at UBS Arena.
FOX Sports announcers Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson are on the call for the national primetime telecast. An audio broadcast of the game on the LEARFIELD Red Storm Sports Network with John Minko and Tarik Turner 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 388 and the SiriusXM App.
St. John's has won six of its last seven games, including its most recent 15-point victory over Xavier on Wednesday at Carnesecca Arena. Senior center Joel Soriano led the charge with 18 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks and five assists as the Red Storm improved to a perfect 4-0 in Queens this season. The Red Storm big man also tallied his 1,000th career rebound in the victory.
The Red Storm put forth its second-straight stellar defensive effort as the Musketeers shot just 34.9 percent (22-63 FG) from the field and a season-low 19.0 percent (4-21 3FG) from distance. St. John's also forced Xavier into 18 turnovers while Soriano registered six of the team's eight blocks and set a career high.
Since giving up a 10-point second half advantage in an 86-80 setback against Boston College on Dec. 10, the Red Storm has not trailed in a contest thanks in part to its success on the defensive end of the floor. Over its two-game win streak, the Johnnies have held its opponents to a 30.3 field goal shooting percentage, including a 6-for-39 effort (15.4 pct) from 3-point territory. The Johnnies have averaged 7.5 blocks with Soriano responsible for 4.5 per contest.
Offensively, Soriano (19.0 ppg), Chris Ledlum (12.0 ppg) and Nahiem Alleyne (11.0 ppg) have averaged double figures over the last two games. The trio has shot 52.5 percent (32-61 FG) from the field and 80.9 percent (17-21 FT) at the free throw line during the recent win streak.
Saturday's contest marks the fifth different arena the Johnnies will compete in over their last six games. St. John's began this stretch with a 79-73 victory at West Virginia on Dec. 1. Soriano went for 24 points while Ledlum registered 17 points and 10 rebounds in the team's lone true road game of the season.
St. John's split its regular season series with Connecticut last season as both teams earned road victories. In its last trip to Hartford on Jan., 15, 2023, the Red Storm rallied for an 85-74 victory over the No. 6/7 Huskies at the XL Center. Soriano scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half to snap UConn's 15-game home win streak that dated back to the 2021-22 season. UConn countered with a 95-86 victory on Feb. 25, 2023 at Madison Square Garden. Soriano, who is the only current member of the Red Storm to appear in either contest, finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the last meeting at The Garden.
The Johnnies enter their first BIG EAST road game of the season ranked second in the nation averaging 17.2 offensive rebounds per contest. Soriano has helped lead the way with a team-best 4.7 offensive boards per game, which ranks third in Division I. St. John's also ranks top-30 in Division I in blocks (5.6 bpg, 16th), rebounds (41.6 rpg, 28th) and assists (17.4 apg, 28th). Daniss Jenkins has been the team's lead facilitator and ranks 22nd in the nation with 5.9 assists per contest.
Original members of the BIG EAST, St. John's and Connecticut will meet for the 69th time in a series that began in 1951. The Johnnies lead the series 37-31, including a 32-28 mark in league play, but the Huskies have taken three of the last five meetings.
Connecticut had its three-game win streak snapped on Wednesday with a 75-60 setback at Seton Hall in its BIG EAST opener. Tristen Newton led the Huskies with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers.
UConn returns to the XL Center for the first time since Nov. 24 when it rolled to a 30-point win over Manhattan. The Huskies are 3-0 in Hartford this season and has averaged 94.7 points shooting 55.4 percent from the field at its off-campus home court. Cam Spencer has paced the Huskies in scoring at the XL Center this season as the graduate transfer from Rutgers is averaging 18.3 points in three starts.
The Huskies lead the BIG EAST and rank top-20 in Division I with a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio (9th) and 18.2 assists per contest (17th). Newton (5.6 apg) and Spencer (3.6 apg) have combined for over 50 percent of the team's assists this season.
Newton also leads the Huskies averaging 16.3 points per game while Spencer (14.8 ppg) Alex Karaban (14.7 ppg) are close behind in the scoring column.
After its matchup with Connecticut, the Red Storm has an extended break before returning to action on Dec. 30 against Hofstra at UBS Arena.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Center
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