St John's beats Saint Joseph's 77-73 at Mohegan Sun Arena

Dec 21, 2017, 12:01 am

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Shamorie Ponds scored 28 points, Justin Simon had 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, and St. John's beat Saint Joseph's 77-73 in the Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase on Wednesday night.

St. John's (10-2) is off to its best start in the Chris Mullin Era.

Ponds split a double team on a drive to the basket and made an off-balance shot to put St. John's up 73-68. Saint Joseph's got within 73-71 but Ponds hit four straight free throws on St. John's next two possessions to seal it.

Bashir Ahmed added 16 points for St. John's, which has won five of its last six contests. Ponds also had seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Shavar Newkirk scored a season-high 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting for Saint Joseph's (5-6). Taylor Funk and James Demery each scored 15 points and Pierfrancesco Oliva grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds.