Following a 2-0 showing at The Lapchick Tournament to open the 2020-21 season, the St. John’s Men’s Basketball team will hit the road for the first time when it meets Boston College on Monday at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The contest between former BIG EAST rivals will tip at 6 p.m. on ESPNU with Kevin Brown and Jon Crispin on the call. The game can be heard over the airwaves on 970 AM WNYM with John Minko and Vin Parise narrating the action. The Learfield-IMG College Red Storm Sports Network radio broadcast can also be heard through TuneIn Radio and SiriusXM.
St. John’s and Boston College will meet for the 73rd time overall and the first since 2008 when they square off inside Mohegan Sun’s “Bubbleville.” Overall, St. John’s leads the series history between charter BIG EAST members, 45-27, including a memorable win in the 1983 BIG EAST Championship Game that gave the Johnnies their first conference tournament crown. The Eagles have won each of the last seven meetings between the teams, with the Johnnies’ last win coming in February of 2002.
The Red Storm (2-0) defeated Saint Peter’s and La Salle to open the season, winning The Lapchick Tournament for the 21st time in program history and improving to 43-1 in the event honoring the legacy of former St. John’s head coach and two-time Naismith Hall of Fame inductee Joe Lapchick.
Vince Cole was named the MVP of the tournament after averaging 20.0 points on 53.8 percent shooting, including a 46.2 percent effort from three-point range. On Wednesday against Saint Peter’s, the two-time NJCAA All-American scored 21 points, including the game’s final five points in the last 18 seconds to help St. John’s erase a four-point deficit and move past the Peacocks. The following afternoon, the Charleston, S.C., native finished with 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals to help St. John’s cruise past La Salle, 82-65.
Two other first-year Johnnies earned spots on the All-Lapchick Tournament Team, as Posh Alexander and Isaih Moore put forth standout efforts in their St. John’s debuts. Alexander, an electrifying freshman guard from Brooklyn, averaged 12.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 3.0 assists over his first two collegiate games. Moore, a junior college All-American last season at Pearl River Community College, posted 12 points and nine boards against Saint Peter’s before tallying nine points and seven rebounds against La Salle.
The Red Storm started 2-0 despite playing without the services of Julian Champagnie, who missed both of the team’s outings with a sprained right ankle. Last season, Champagnie earned a spot on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team after averaging 9.9 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds while ranking in the top three among BIG EAST freshmen in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals. In addition to missing Champagnie, the Red Storm also played part of Wednesday’s opener and all of Thursday’s game without redshirt senior guard Rasheem Dunn, who needed stiches on his chin and entered concussion protocol following a spill against Saint Peter’s.
In addition to Cole’s game-high 19 points, three other Johnnies reached double figures in the team’s most recent outing against La Salle. Marcellus Earlington scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting while Greg Williams Jr. finished with 13. Freshman Dylan Addae-Wusu reached double figures for the first time, posting 10 points of 4-of-7 shooting, six boards and three steals in 26 minutes of action.
Boston College (1-1) remains at Mohegan Sun after participating in the 2K Empire Classic to open the season. The Eagles put a scare into No. 3 Villanova on Wednesday night, leading by as many as nine in the second half before the Wildcats clawed back for a 76-67 victory. In the consolation game on Thursday, junior guard Wynston Tabbs recorded a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead the Eagles past Rhode Island.
Jay Heath scored a team-high 16 points against Villanova before missing the URI game with a foot injury. Providence transfer Makai Ashton-Langford, a former consensus top-50 national recruit, scored 15 against the Wildcats.
After taking on the Eagles, the Red Storm will travel to Lubbock, Texas, for a showdown with Texas Tech in the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. on ESPN.
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Fan Cutout – St. John’s University Athletics – Official Athletics Website (redstormsports.com)