2008 Woodie Awards
Men's basketball takes first Big East game over Cincy
Deborah N. Harris, Staff Writer
Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: Torch Online Exclusives
After not seeing any action on the Carnesecca Arena hardwood for almost a month, the St. John's men's basketball team was back in action defeating the Cincinnati Bearcats 70-58, in its Big East home opener on Saturday Jan. 5. The Johnnies (7-6, 1-1 BIG EAST), who pushed above the .500 mark in all games played, posted its first conference win of the season after dropping one to Syracuse Jan. 2.
"I was happy with the way we played tonight," said St. John's head coach Norm Roberts. "We played extremely hard [and] we did a good job defensively."
Junior forward Anthony Mason Jr., who found his rhythm in the second half, finished 7-of-14 from the field and 3-of-6 from the perimeter en route to his 17-point performance. St. John's also saw major contributions from two freshmen in only their second conference game: big man Justin Burrell, who scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds, as well as wingman D.J. Kennedy, who finished with 13 points and a game high eight boards.
"I love the competition and everything that comes along with it," said Burrell. "This is the kind of game I want to play in."
The Bearcats (6-8, 1-1) showed some fight as they tried to match the Red Storm surge in the second half by spreading the five and executing plays quickly. St. John's was forced to stay consistent on both sides of the floor when Cincinnati's sophomore guard Deonta Vaughn scored 19 of his game high 24-point finish and senior forward John Williamson scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half alone. But, the Bearcats were far from seizing control of the game as the team stayed at a deficit for the length of the second period. Cincinnati was only able to bring the game within six at the 16:51 mark when Vaughn drained a trey off an assist from teammate guard Jamual Warren.
Senior guard tri-captain Eugene Lawrence came through for the Johnnies using stable dribble penetration to draw fouls. Lawrence shot 7-of-10 from the charity stripe and finished with 12 points for St. John's.
"I was happy with the way we played tonight," said St. John's head coach Norm Roberts. "We played extremely hard [and] we did a good job defensively."
Junior forward Anthony Mason Jr., who found his rhythm in the second half, finished 7-of-14 from the field and 3-of-6 from the perimeter en route to his 17-point performance. St. John's also saw major contributions from two freshmen in only their second conference game: big man Justin Burrell, who scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds, as well as wingman D.J. Kennedy, who finished with 13 points and a game high eight boards.
"I love the competition and everything that comes along with it," said Burrell. "This is the kind of game I want to play in."
The Bearcats (6-8, 1-1) showed some fight as they tried to match the Red Storm surge in the second half by spreading the five and executing plays quickly. St. John's was forced to stay consistent on both sides of the floor when Cincinnati's sophomore guard Deonta Vaughn scored 19 of his game high 24-point finish and senior forward John Williamson scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half alone. But, the Bearcats were far from seizing control of the game as the team stayed at a deficit for the length of the second period. Cincinnati was only able to bring the game within six at the 16:51 mark when Vaughn drained a trey off an assist from teammate guard Jamual Warren.
Senior guard tri-captain Eugene Lawrence came through for the Johnnies using stable dribble penetration to draw fouls. Lawrence shot 7-of-10 from the charity stripe and finished with 12 points for St. John's.
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