Ponds scores 26 and St. John's goes to 9-0
NEW YORK -- Shomorie Ponds scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half and combined with Justin Simon for nine points in a game-ending run as undefeated St. John's fended off Princeton 89-74 on Sunday at the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival.
Princeton trailed by 19, 75-66, with eight minutes left after Ponds scored 10 points in a 26-8 run. But the Tigers responded by outscoring the Red Storm 18-5, capped by a 3-pointer by Jose Morales, and closed within six with 3:41 remaining but didn't score again, missing their final six shots.
LJ Figueroa added 17 points and Marvin Clark II 13 with both grabbing a game-high eight rebounds for the Red Storm (9-0), who shot 56 percent in getting off to their best start since the 1990-91 team also began 9-0.
Devin Cannady made six 3-pointers and scored 18 points and Jaelin Llewellyn, in his collegiate debut, added 17 for Princeton (4-4), making its first Garden appearance since 2000 and playing St. John's for the first time since 1982.
St. John's led 41-38 at halftime on Figueroa's 3-point play in the final minute.
Before the game, St. John's honored late Hall of Fame basketball writer Jim O'Connell of The Associated Press with a special presentation to his family. The players wore a red patch with O'Connell's nickname, "Oc." O'Connell, an alumnus, was a fixture covering sports at the Garden. He died in July at 64. The Garden will also place a permanent plaque at his workspace in the media room.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Brian O'Connell
- Brian Dorsey
- Evon Burroughs
2023-24 Ivy League Standings
2023-24 Big East Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
UConn | 18-2 | - | 37-3 |
Marquette | 14-6 | 4 | 27-10 |
Creighton | 14-6 | 4 | 25-10 |
Seton Hall | 13-7 | 5 | 25-12 |
St. John's | 11-9 | 7 | 20-13 |
Providence | 10-10 | 8 | 21-14 |
Villanova | 10-10 | 8 | 18-16 |
Butler | 9-11 | 9 | 18-15 |
Xavier | 9-11 | 9 | 16-18 |
Georgetown | 2-18 | 16 | 9-23 |
DePaul | 0-20 | 18 | 3-29 |