December 16, 2018
Leading by just one at the half, St. John's dominated the latter stanza to pull away from Wagner, 73-58, and improve to 10-0 on the season Sunday evening at Carnesecca Arena.
This year's Red Storm is now the first St. John's team in 36 years and just the seventh in the 112-year history of the program to start a campaign with 10 or more consecutive wins. The last time the feat was accomplished in 1982-83, sophomore Chris Mullin led the Johnnies to a school-record 14-straight wins to kick off the season before eventually winning the program's first BIG EAST title. Since 1950, only three St. John's teams have begun a season with at least 10-straight victories.
Shamorie Ponds fell just one rebound shy of program's first triple-double in 20 years, finishing the game with 16 points, 14 assists and nine boards in 36 minutes. The junior's 14 helpers shattered his previous career high of 10 and were the most by a St. John's player since Omar Cook dished out 15 against Connecticut on Jan. 6, 2001.
Only two St. John's players in the history of the program have tallied more assists in a game than Ponds did on Sunday, as Cook registered efforts of 17 and 15 during the 2000-01 season while Mark Jackson holds the program's BIG EAST record with 16 against Providence on Feb. 3, 1986. Perhaps the most impressive part of his performance, Ponds coughed up his first and only turnover of the game with 1:59 to play in the second half.
Ron Artest recorded St. John's last triple-double, on Jan. 9, 1999, against Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden.
While Ponds' quest for a triple-double captured the attention of Carnesecca Arena's sellout crowd, LJ Figueroa quietly posted a game-high 19 points. The former junior college All-American logged yet another efficient outing, making eight of his 13 attempts from the floor and sinking three of his six tries from long range.
Two other Johnnies finished in double figures, as Marvin Clark II registered 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including a 3-for-6 showing from downtown, while Mustapha Heron added 10 points. Clark and Heron also pulled down seven points apiece.
Despite recording the team's lowest offensive output of the season in terms of point total, the Johnnies assisted on 18 of their 22 made field goals and connected on 12 of their 25 attempts from downtown.
Leading 7-3 despite some early offensive struggles, St. John's saw Wagner rattle off a 7-0 run to move ahead by three, 10-7, with just over five minutes gone in the contest.
The Johnnies responded with five unanswered of their own to re-grab the lead, but Wagner would not go away, moving ahead by four, 23-19, with six minutes to go in the half following a 7-0 spurt. The Seahawks held St. John's scoreless for nearly four minutes during that stretch.
From there, it was the Red Storm's turn to rattle off a run, scoring eight-straight to match its largest lead of the game at that point, 27-23, with just over three minutes to play in the half. Ponds scored four of the team's eight points and assisted on a Figueroa triple during the tear.
Trailing by one at the break, Wagner briefly regained the lead on a Romone Saunders jumper 15 seconds into the half. The Seahawks' advantage would be short-lived. Over the next five minutes the Red Storm unleashed an 18-2 run, moving ahead by 15, 47-32, with just under 15 minutes to play in the game. Figueroa scored eight of the team's points on the spurt, while Ponds drained a three-ball and assisted on four of the team's other five field goals.
Following Saunders' bucket to open the period, Wagner went 7:28 without a field goal.
The Red Storm continued to extend its lead, as a 6-0 run gave the Johnnies a 20-point edge, 65-45, with 7:09 to go.
Ponds grabbed his ninth rebound of the game with 6:38 to go, leaving him plenty of time to collect the final board needed for his triple-double. The feat proved not to be in the cards; however, as the junior point guard exited the game less than five minutes later still in need of that fateful carom.
St. John's returns to action on Wednesday, playing host to St. Francis Brooklyn at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on FS1 on 570 AM WMCA.